


You Are A Pirate

by Feckless_KnickKnacks, scrungass



Category: LazyTown
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Consensual Sex, Consensual sexual violence, Depression, Dom/sub, Drinking, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Heavy Angst, Insomniac Robbie, Kidnapping, M/M, Minor Character Death, Painplay, Pillaging, Power Play, S&M, Suicidal Thoughts, There's only actually like one chapter that has smut in it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-10
Updated: 2017-05-17
Packaged: 2018-09-23 09:41:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 41,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9650081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Feckless_KnickKnacks/pseuds/Feckless_KnickKnacks, https://archiveofourown.org/users/scrungass/pseuds/scrungass
Summary: LazyTown, a thriving port-side principality, is protected by only the best military, led by Lord Sportacus. That all changed when the notorious Captain Rottenbeard and his crew decided to steal both the Lord and his good friend, Stephanie, away from their simple lives, leaving LazyTown burning to the ground. Choices must be made between personal moral codes and pure emotion, the difference between what's right and wrong questioned. Can the horrible crimes of an emotionally-torn pirate be justified?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Buckle in for a long one, guys! This fic is directly from an rp my friend @themasongraygallery (IG) and I are currently working on, and I had people that really want to read it. So now it's here in fic format! It still reads a bit like an rp, but paragraphs, grammar, and some words have been fixed. I really hope you enjoy this adventure!
> 
> See what Captain Rottenbeard's and Lord Sportacus' designs are here: http://scrungass.tumblr.com/post/157047718386/so-ive-got-a-sportarobbie-pirate-fic-in-the

LazyTown, a port-side principality, was used for docking ships from all walks of life. Traders, refugees, explorers…all would find their way there at some point in their lifetimes. The reason? The town’s superb military strategists. No ruffians or thugs would ever dare set their anchors in this guarded city. With over fifty soldiers stationed at the docks daily, there had never been an incident of piracy or pillaging in the current citizen’s lifetime. And Lord Sportacus, commander in chief, was going to keep it that way.  
  
At present, he was having a meeting with the mayor about lessening the police presence in schools, as it seemed to make the kids uncomfortable, when a loud blast caught both of them off guard.  
  
“Lord, there’s a ship to the East!” the Mayor forced his window open to get a good view of it, “And it’s not flying the Queen’s flag!”  
  
Sportacus watched with his mouth agape at the sight. How did the ship even come this close? Had his soldiers grown lazy? He rushed from the town hall to the shores of the beach, staring in the distance at the ship. He’d never seen a flag like that before…perhaps…it was friendly? Then what had that sound been? He readied his men, and told the children to stay inside with their mothers just in case there was a fight. The mysterious ship approached ominously.  
  
"Avast ye, fellows!" Rottenbeard, the captain of the opposing ship, called to his crew as they headed toward LazyTown's docks. "LazyTown now knows of our coming, and you know the plan! Ready your weapons, take everything valuable! Leave no table unturned!" The crew shouted and cheered, and when the pirate ship had hit shore, LazyTown could not have been ready for such a fate. Suddenly, a multitude of pirates were jumping from the ship, ready to pillage this wretched trading town to their heart’s content. Guards were killed, children kidnapped, women and men alike taken hostage. Homes and businesses were raided of their money, important buildings set on fire.  
  
Rottenbeard's plan had been flawless. He watched his impeccable crew raid the town of its people and riches, while he settled to poke at some bodies or oversee their winnings. A wide grin settled on his smug face. Oh yes. All according to plan.  
  
Sportacus' soldiers were no match for this. He watched as each man was clubbed down, cut or shot through the heart. It was a massacre, one that would be written in the history books for ages. It had all been Sportacus' fault. He hadn't trained his soldiers for such a devastating raid, he hadn't prepared them for such a...rape of their town. He despised that word. But that's what this was, and the Lord didn't know how much more he could handle. There was so much to focus on and so little men to do it. They had to resort to rounding up the children to act as a mock firemen complex. Stingy, the son of the town's banker, was placed in charge of bucket duty, and was urging the children to put out any fires they saw. While they doused the bank, Sportacus was counting every child to make sure they were safe. Ziggy, Pixel, Trixie, Stingy...but where was—?  
  
"SPORTACUS!" A young girl screamed from afar. There was Stephanie, being dragged away into a smaller fleet ship by some brute of a man. Clearly not the leader, but surely a strong contender for him. "Stephanie!" he shouted, sword drawn and heart full of fear. He could take him quickly, he just had to— AUGH! Something had...hit him in the head. He placed a hand near his neck, only to draw it back covered in blood.  
"Please!!!! Help!! Help!!" Stephanie continued to shout as she was dragged onto the ship. He ran for her…no, crawled...Stephanie? Everything was fading away, and the last thing he remembered before passing out was the blur of the noble girl's pink dress and the echoes of footsteps near his ears.  
  
—  
  
The raid had been a success. They had lost a few men, but overall, the town had been completely looted of valuables. Not only that, they had captured Lord Sportacus of all people! What a lucky surprise. Rottenbeard had the unconscious noble hauled onto the deck of the ship, tied up to one of the masts.  
  
"Oh, now this is a delicious sight, boys. We did good today! Tonight we will feast with the riches of our hard work!" He swung up to the wheel of the ship, directing the ship’s path. "We shall drink well tonight, lads! Set sail!" And then the ship was off, leaving the burning LazyTown behind them, no "hero" left to restore the once-great principality.  
  
—  
  
The Lord awoke groggily to the sound of cheering and debauchery from below the deck. There certainly was a party going on, one that no man of morality would find himself attending. Sportacus opened his swelling and bruised eyes to a near empty deck, and to the west, the moon shone like a medal of honor. Speaking of which...all of the man's pleasantries were gone. His lapels, sashes, and badges...all swiped from him like some prize. Even his coat was missing, leaving him practically defenseless against the cold salty sea that sprayed him from the sides of the ship. He struggled against his bonds, only one thing on his mind: He had to know if Stephanie was alive.  
  
A stray crew member came up from below the deck, drink in hand. He looked like he was sent to do rounds, and he checked a room on the deck which looked like it held hostages, based on the drunken slurs he was spouting. He made his way over to Sportacus and blinked in the dim moonlight, "Aye...you awake, mate?”  
  
"Are you always so polite?" The noble spat on the ground in front of him in disgust, his disdain for anyone on board apparent in his expression.  
  
"Tch..." the crew member took a swig of his rum, "All you landlubbers are the same..." he splashed Sportacus' face with the remainder of his alcohol, before walking back to the entrance of the lower deck, "AYE CAPTAIN!" He yelled, "Lord Sportacus is awake!"  
  
There was now silence amongst the crew below the deck, and soon the heavy thuds of boots walking up deafened any other sound. Captain Rottenbeard emerged, sword in hand. "Well, well, nice to see you've awoken, 'Sporty,'" he said in a mocking tone, swinging his sword over his shoulder. "I'm Captain Rottenbeard, at your service," he sneered, bowing extravagantly.  
Sportacus was spitting out the alcohol that had been thrown his way, wincing as it seeped into his wounds. Humiliating...he must have looked so pathetic tied here to this mast. But that's not what bothered him the most.  
  
"I don't see many serviceable traits in you thus far, 'Captain'," he said mockingly, "How did you get past my guards?”  
  
Rottenbeard tried to not let his sneer falter, "Well you see, my Lord," his eyebrow twitched, "your guards were not strong enough, or witty enough, to beat my men. My boys are tactful and precise, I only lost four to your hooligans. Maybe you should train better next time," he chuckled, "not that there will ever be a next time.”  
  
The town, all his people, the mayor, the children...all gone. He tried his best not to vomit. There was only one thing keeping him afloat right now, and that was Stephanie. She was here. On this ship. She had to be. And he would do anything to keep her and the other survivors alive, which meant for now he had to listen to this filthy scoundrel. Ugh. This man was so chauvinistic, as if he was honorable for burning a city to the ground. And it looked like he loved to brag. Rottenbeard carried on about how perfectly his plan had gone, but now wasn't the time for for a dick measuring contest. Now was the time for action.  
  
"Where are they? The ones you took? That's all I care about. Not your strategies."  
  
Rottenbeard sighed dramatically, holding his sword to the side, "Of course that's all you care about," he rolled his eyes. "I suppose I'm not so horrible as to not let you see your beloved townsfolk. Tobias! Bring out the prisoners!" Tobias, the crew member from before, let out an "aye-aye!" before opening one of the doors on deck, dragging out a group of about 20 prisoners who were all chained together, Stephanie being one of them. Sportacus lunged his chest forward, so relieved to see them that there was a noticeable tear in the ropes that held him as he craned forward. He addressed the prisoners each by name, making a mental note of who was there and what condition they were in. Finally, he saw Stephanie, who looked altogether safe except for a bruised arm.  
  
"Why the women and children? Have you no shame?”  
  
Rottenbeard set his sword down and leaned forward on it, "Oh, trust me, we have male prisoners too. Below deck. They help run the ship. Clean things." He gave a nasty smirk, "Good for pleasure too.”  
  
Sportacus' face, which was previously contorted with rage and shock, fell into something much less confident. In that moment he realized that this was no strategy game. This crew was real, not one he could simply eliminate using calculated moves and strokes on his abacus. These men held a chaotic villainy that he could not predict. For the first time on board he'd felt...threatened.  
  
"So that's what shuts you up, huh?" Rottenbeard looked Sportacus up and down, "You're a mighty fine specimen, you know that? You would do quite well under the deck..." he rubbed his beard in thought, "..hmm. No. You're too special for that. You're _my_ prized possession," and Rottenbeard didn't intend to share him. "The women and children will be thoroughly put to work. Kitchen, cleaning, and the such. We need some workers on here who have no need to be paid or gather riches.”  
  
Sportacus felt absolutely violated as those cold eyes pierced through his skin harsher than the briny sea. What could he mean by that? The Lord was so sheltered from the realities of piracy that he couldn't possibly imagine what was in store for him. But Sportacus, being who he was, cared far more for the well fair of his people than his own dignity.  
  
"P-please, be gentle to them. They don't deserve any of this. They are good people. The citizens of—" as he made his plea, one of the men surrounding the hostages had begun to run his fingers through a crying Stephanie's hair, and Sportacus lost it. "DON'T TOUCH HER!”  
  
Rottenbeard swung his sword quickly towards Sportacus' neck, "No yelling. Your voice is going to give me a headache." He glanced over at Stephanie, humming in thought. "As nasty as we are, _Sporty_ , we wouldn't dare have sex with a child. Isn't that right, Samuel?" He looked his crew member, who'd had his hand in Stephanie's hair, directly in the eyes. "My crew knows they'll get thrown into the unforgiving sea if they did something like that. The children will be working. They will be fed. So don't worry your pretty blond head." Robbie slowly pulled the sword away, rubbing the tip across his chin. "I may be terrible, but I have standards."  
  
Sportacus gave Stephanie the most comforting look he could think of. With wide, bloodshot eyes, he told her it would be okay, that ol' Sportacus would get them all out of this, that in the end this would all pass like a bad dream… He hated to lie. But he couldn't have her being scared. She was a strong girl, and could stir up some trouble if need be. But that's what he was afraid of. He had to tear his gaze away from his trembling citizens back to the captain, head hanging low. "I'll do whatever you need me to do to keep them safe..."  
  
"What a good boy," Rottenbeard stepped back and looked at his crew on deck. "Time to pack up for the night, boys. Tell those losers downstairs to quiet down. Louis," he addressed a _very_ large man. "Take Sportacus to my chambers. I will see our prisoners to bed." And with that, Rottenbeard disappeared with the chain of women and children, and Louis tied up Sportacus' hands roughly before picking him up and taking him to a large room, where the captain’s study and bed lay.  
  
"It's going to be okay, everyone! Stephanie! Stephanie, look at me it's going to be fine!!" He shouted to the group imploringly as he was dragged off by the brute of a man to a room on the upper deck.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's business to take care of on Greedy Island.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really excited to see that people are enjoying this! Thank you for the kind feedback and kudos so far! <3  
> Once again, this is a roleplay, so I'm sorry if it doesn't exactly read like a normal fic, but I hope it continues to be enjoyable all the same!

Lord Sportacus was tossed inside the Captain’s quarters like a bag of rice, with no regard for his comfort whatsoever. At least he landed on a rug.  
   
"Does your captain always treat his guests like this?" he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he tried to sit up. Louis just looked at Sportacus incredulously, before pointing to a scar on his neck, indicating he couldn't speak. So much for conversation. After about 20 minutes, Rottenbeard entered his room, shooing Louis out with a pat on the back, telling him goodnight. He was quiet now, and he said nothing to Sportacus as he pulled out a thick piece of cloth, before tying up up and making a hammock.  
  
"I'm going to untie you for rest. My crew has orders to kill the prisoners if you escape." That was all he said before he cut the ropes off Sportacus' wrists.  
  
"I am not worth the lives of over twenty good people..." he breathed out roughly as he fell forward, the weight of his newly freed hands catching him off balance, "Whatever you want with me should not involve them..."  
  
"I don't want any chance of you escaping, and I know how much you care about them. So I'm not taking any chances," he replied with a smirk. "Now get to bed with you, that's what the hammock is for," Rottenbeard pulled out a flask from his desk drawer, taking a swig before undressing to his undershirt and slacks.  
  
Sportacus realized that the gash in the back of his head had been patched up, but that didn't make the situation any less bearable. He stood up from the ground with a groan, spitting some dried blood onto the floor, "How can you trust that I won't slit your throat in your sleep?" He...he had never thought he'd find himself saying that. It was so against his moral code, but…the Captain wouldn't know that, right?  
  
Rottenbeard chuckled, but it sounded tired, "Boy, I hardly sleep. There's a 1/100 possibility you might be able to catch me sleeping." He sat down at his desk, pulling out a map and putting a lantern on very dimly. "Now go to bed. I have work to do."  
  
That's all Sportacus could do for now, then. The hostages should be safe for tonight, but dear god he wished he could be there for them. Poor Stephanie...probably wondering if her uncle was left alive. And her friends...Stingy, Pixel... Sportacus himself couldn't bear to think that they'd...Ah. Defeated, he crawled into his "bed", staring at Rottenbeard in disappointment all the while. He wouldn't be the only one not sleeping tonight.  
  
—  
  
Rottenbeard was up all night as promised. His immensely dark circles under his eyes were much darker, the lantern having gone out after a while. The sun was rising, and only at that point did he start to nod off. He hadn't paid much attention to Sportacus at all, just giving little glances to make sure he was there. His eyes were closed for just mere moments before a loud knock came on his door, "Captain! Breakfast is ready!"  
  
"Shit, already...?" Rottenbeard mumbled, "Give me a moment! Start without me today!" He grumbled and got up, stumbling over discarded bottles of alcohol.  
  
Sportacus had admittedly slept for at least three hours, and so he too was startled awake by the knock and later the sounds of glass sliding across the floor. Ugh...his stomach felt terrible. All the excitement from yesterday, the blood loss, and now the churning ship was about ready to have Sportacus heave at any mention of food. He sat up in his hammock, eyes scanning Rottenbeard as he rose from his chair.  
  
"Get up, Sportacock. Everyone will be at breakfast and I'm sure you want to see your beloved 'Stephanie,'" Rottenbeard half-muttered, putting on his captains attire and making himself look somewhat presentable. A drawn out yawn left his mouth, and he turned around to stare at Sportacus. The Lord struggled to get out of his hammock, which swayed almost as much as he did when his feet finally hit the floor. He looked visibly ill, holding his chest slightly while he brought his eyes up to look up at the much taller man.  
  
"Come," Rottenbeard spoke to Sportacus as if he were his pet, and he didn't bother tying him up. He brought Sportacus to the dining hall, a large table set up for crew members, and smaller tables for prisoners. There were old prisoners mixed in with the new ones, and they were sectioned off by males, females, and children. The prisoners were chained to each other by their ankles, but the food they had was just as abundant as what the crew had.  
  
Sportacus surveyed the atmosphere, counting how many of the male prisoners he recognized from LazyTown. Not many. That was good. They seemed to blend right in with the other prisoners, their terrified expressions being the only key factor in telling them apart. He noticed how full everyone's plates were, which made his own stomach grumble. Ugh...even though he felt nauseous, he also felt very hungry. He followed right behind the captain, trying his best to look strong for his friends in chains. Rottenbeard sat down at the end of the table, a large chair in place for him. There was a chair beside his, and he patted the space for Sportacus. He handed a plate to the other man.  
  
"Eat up. We have a lot of sailing to do." For himself, the Captain just grabbed a slice of bread, idly munching on it while surveying his crew. Sportacus held the plate awkwardly, trying to decide what to do. While it was plentiful and rather high end for a sea vessel, none of the food looked...particularly appetizing to him. He didn't see any vegetables, or fruits...at least not ones that were mashed into something. But he was _so_ hungry. He simply drank from his bowl of water, stubbornly refusing a meal for now.  
  
Rottenbeard looked back at Sportacus, an eyebrow raised. "What. Is our food not good enough for you? You need to eat, dumbass." A deep frown settled on his face.  
  
"I'm not hungry," the Lord proclaimed with a stoic expression and folded his hands together. He would have eaten if any of this food would give him energy, but it was all luxury items.  Soups with fatty broths, sweet breads and sugars...it wouldn't do him any good.  
  
Rottenbeard stared hard at Sportacus for a long moment, before growling at him. "Well if you won't eat our shit, what WILL you eat? You lost a decent amount of blood yesterday and I'm not having you pass out on me."  
  
"I'm not asking for special treatment," he looked to the other prisoners and nodded, "but if you want me to eat, it'll _only_ be fruits and vegetables...and you'll need to save a portion for my town to eat as well. Our fruit trees were our treasures. Surely your men collected some before destroying our livelihood?" He ended his query with a grimace, disrespect emanating from him.  
  
A long pause. "Fucking hell....do you know how hard it is to keep a full stock of fruits and vegetables for a long time? But fine. If those are so important to you, it'll be your job to see that the prisoners from your town collect that shit whenever we stop. I can't have weak crew members." With an exasperated sigh, Rottenbeard called for the chef to bring out fruits and vegetables for everyone, but more were offered to Sportacus than anyone else. He couldn't help a self-congratulatory smile as the fruits were handed out to them all, and he gave Stephanie a happy wink as she grinned up at him, apple in her mouth from her place at the children's table. He ate his filling of grapes, apples, yams, and eggplant, pointedly making sure he ate exactly the same amount as everyone else did.  
  
Rottenbeard mumbled something about scurvy and continued munching on bread. When it seemed like everyone had their fill, he stood up and slammed a boot on the table. "All right, mates! We have a lot of sailing to do, so no dilly dallying! Go to your stations and prepare for work!" The crew all shouted in affirmation, making the man wince a little, and everyone headed up to the deck. "You come with me, Sportacus," the Captain led the way up to the deck, making his way toward the wheel while he watched the crew set up for sailing.  
  
Sportacus didn't comply until giving Stephanie another look of encouragement. He didn't know what he'd do if something were to ever happen to her, so he'd cherish the few moments he had to keep her in his sight. The man, trying his best to look the part of an indignant prisoner, followed behind the impressive looking man all the way up to the wheel, wobbling around a bit due to his lack of sea legs.  
  
Once the Captain got to the wheel and everyone was ready, he shouted, "SET SAIL!" and then they were off. The deck was lively with conversation and crew members keeping watch. Rottenbeard pulled a map from his coat and handed it to Sportacus. "You're going to keep track of our course for me. It’s not terribly far away, but we need to reach Greedy Island by tomorrow evening. I have business to take care of there."  
  
Sportacus unrolled the map and noticed just how finely tuned all of it's calculations were. The entire map was covered with precise markings and geographical mathematics that a regular townsman wouldn't dream to understand. The only reason Sportacus knew was due to his years in the military service. Is this what Rottenbeard had been working on all night? No wonder he wasn't sleeping.  
  
"What lies ahead there?" he grimaced, "Another port you're looking to burn to the ground?"  
  
A sneer, "I'd like to, but no. I need your cooperation on this mission, so I hope you can keep your energy up, or the whole crew, including the prisoners, will be in jeopardy." He looked out to the sea for a moment before turning back and looking at Sportacus. His whole demeanor seemed to change. “There's a band of pirates worse than I running that island. We had a run-in with them a month ago, and they took my niece. I'm using most of what I stole from your wretched town to pay the ransom. Everything needs to go as planned or we all die."  
  
Sportacus' face fell, a hint of pity showing through his dry eyes as he traced over the map's course with his finger, "Your niece?” He would have never guessed. As awful as this crew was, he couldn't let some girl stay kidnapped with a band of even worse pirates.  
  
"Yes, she's...probably about as old as that girl...Stephanie? Her name is Ella. She's the only family I have left," Rottenbeard clenched the wheel tightly, eyes focused on the sea.  
  
"...80 degrees due north," he instructed with a sigh, pointing to the horizon as if the Captain didn't know what that meant.  
  
It was a long day of sailing, and the crew broke for a meal break once they had covered enough sea. Rottenbeard was looking at his map, sitting at the helm, "You can go eat with everyone else." He looked at the depiction of Greedy Island on the map. "When we arrive on the island, there should be enough time for you to gather fruits from the trees there with the prisoners. We'll need some time to make sure everything is in order anyways."  
  
"And you can assure my people will be safe once we've set foot on land?" Sportacus’ face was stern, forewarning as he set one foot down on the step, "You did say this was a group of marauders even more dastardly than you.”  
  
"Yes. If everything goes well, everyone will be fine." The Captain looked up from his map, "We will have to be ready for anything, though. They might make a jump on us, even if we have all the treasures they desire," he growled lowly. "I will need your help the most tomorrow. You're strong and fast, from what I have observed. I need you to come with me to pay the ransom. I will deal with the money, and if they try anything, I need you to grab Ella and keep her safe. If Ella is safe, everything will be okay..." he looked back at the map in deep thought.  
  
Sportacus gripped the wooden rails as he made his way down to the lowest step, taking pause for a moment as he made an internal decision, "Your niece,” he shouted up to him, "What does she look like?"  
  
"Black hair like mine, usually in pigtails but I'm not sure if she will now...the sweetest round face and her cheeks always have the tiniest red tint to them. She likes to dance and has a thin but strong frame. She loves purple...she should be in her purple dress tomorrow." The man did not once look up from his map.  
  
Sportacus bit his lower lip, brows furrowed before he left with his final words: "We'll find her."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew reaches Greedy Island, and business doesn't go as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for more kind comments and kudos! I'm glad people seem to enjoy this silly roleplay Mason and I created together! Thanks for reading! :)

Sportacus entered the dining hall. The tables were set up the same, with food just as extravagant as it had been before. Perhaps they would be eating gruel after this adventure? He rather hoped not. Seeing that the Captain wasn't there to scold him, he moved to sit with his townspeople, and explained to them what they would be doing tomorrow and why.  
  
Rottenbeard entered the lower deck after most of the crew was already finished eating. He grabbed a small bowl of soup and a slice of bread, eating quietly before immediately going back up to the helm. He didn't address Sportacus or anyone else the whole time, and no one on the crew questioned it. Soon they set sail again, getting close to their destination before night fell.  
  
Sportacus felt like he was getting used to the rocking of the boat, the spray of the sea. He wasn't comfortable with it, but at least he didn't need to vomit every five seconds. He was rather glad the captain wasn't making conversation. It gave him time to study the map as best as he could, trying to remember everything he thought he'd learned about Greedy Island. Not much. The place was only mentioned in passing for it's abundance and wealth, perhaps for a few past uprisings...but that was it. If he recalled correctly, it was a jungle plane with its town located on its borders, and the capital located at the heart.  
  
They sailed the rest of the way without much conversation, and when Greedy Island was within sight, but at a safe distance, the ship was stopped for the night. Rottenbeard placed a hand on Sportacus' shoulder, "Come to my quarters. I have something for you.”  
  
With a curious expression, the Lord rolled the map into a tube and placed it into one of the rungs of his belt. He felt uncomfortable being so close to the island without their knowing. Being surreptitious was never his strong point, and he wondered how nobody ashore noticed the ship. Then again, his own men hadn't seen the ship before it was too late either...  
  
His back arched disagreeably at his touch, but he complied. “O-okay?"  
  
Rottenbeard took Sportacus into his chambers, "Stand right there..." He rummaged through his closet before pulling out an extravagant uniform, similar in color to the Lord’s old clothes, but more pirate in style. "I need you to try this on to make sure the measurements are correct. I started on it last night and it's not quite done, but I need you to wear it for the exchange tomorrow.”  
  
Wait, so he hadn't been mapping things out. He'd been...sewing him an overcoat? Sportacus looked quite confused as he admired the stitching. "W-will the other prisoners be presenting themselves in new clothes, as well?"  
  
"No, we're going to keep the prisoners safe on board. You need to look official when we trade the treasure for Ella. Now try it on, I need to finish this tonight.” With a look off to the side, Sportacus began to undress, tossing his filthy blouse and knickers to the floor. It felt nice to be out of the blood-caked cloth, but being so vulnerable around the captain was unappealing. He fit his arms into the jacket, wincing when he realized there were a few needles poking out. Looks like the lining wasn't finished. It fit okay, much too flashy for his liking, though.  
  
Rottenbeard examined Sportacus' body while he took his clothes off, "Okay... I see what needs to be done now. Take that off and undress, I'm going to get a bucket of water for you to wash up with." And with that, he left, then came back when the water was acquired. "I have nightwear for you in your hammock. Let me know when you've changed.”  
  
Sportacus wished he could wash somewhere else, but he would do literally anything to clear off all this blood and grime. He took his time to bathe, glad to have some time to himself. It had been the first time in a couple days where he could relax and just spend some time to _not_ think, to just let the warm water wash over him and clear away the horrors he had to endure. He continued his bath until the water ran cold, and once he was sufficiently dry, he went over to his hammock to put on his nightclothes. They were quite soft...did Rottenbeard make this too?  
  
The Captain waited outside the room. He would be lying if he said he didn't want to know what Sportacus looked like naked, the man was beautiful. He wanted to take that body...but he wouldn't. Not now. He hesitantly knocked on the door after some time passed, "Are you done changing?" He was itching to finish sewing.  
  
"Yes," he pulled his hair back slick with water and sighed. This felt so much better. Cleaner...he hoped all of his townspeople were feeling as he clean as he did. Rottenbeard entered the room, sighing and relieving himself of his overcoat and hat. He grabbed Sportacus' old clothes and shoved them to the side, then took the in-progress outfit and sat in his chair, beginning to work on it.  
  
 "I need you to call me Robbie tomorrow if you address me. It'll indicate you know me.”  
  
"Robbie?" Sportacus raised and eyebrow and sat himself down in the hammock, legs dangling off the side under his nightclothes, "Is that your name?" For the first time on board, he chuckled.  
  
Rottenbeard let out a chuckle of his own, "Yeah, Robert Rotten is my full name, but those who are familiar with me call me Robbie." He actually smiled a little bit, "Is Sportacus your real name?" He raised a brow at the other man. The Lord’s smile faltered uncomfortably at this sight of authentic charisma befalling the face of Rottenbeard. He'd had a hard time seeing him as a human being, and the idea that perhaps he wasn't a total monster put him in an odd position. Nonetheless, he didn't think giving him his real name would do any harm.  
  
"Alexander...er, Alex is what my mother called me."  
  
“Huh...Alex..." Rottenbeard tasted the name on his tongue. "I like "Sporty" better," he chuckled and gave his attention back to sewing, a small smile on his face. He would never admit it, but Sportacus thought he liked "Sporty" better too… With a yawn he laid himself down in his hammock, and contentedly watched the Captain's finger thread the needle through each knot. Rottenbeard, or "Robbie" was so like a spider. Dark, gangly, hungry, mysterious...He truly didn't know what to expect from him. With a yawn, he rolled over to face the wall, letting himself finally get some hard earned sleep.  
  
—  
  
In the middle of the night, Rottenbeard roughly woke Sportacus up, looking terrified, “Sportacus... Sportacus..." he looked out the window of his room, "Sportacus, they want us to trade _now_. We were at a safe distance...but they're here. They have Ella. T-this isn't what I planned. This shouldn't have happened.”  
"W-what?" Sportacus fell from his hammock with a thud, ripping the fabric ever so slightly as he went down. Were they under attack? He had never seen a man look so horror struck in his life, let alone a threatening pirate like Rottenbeard. "D-do yo need me to put on the clothes, Rot—uh, Robbie?"  
  
"Yes, yes, quickly quickly," the Captain frantically paced around the room as Sportacus got dressed, "The crew has orders to keep the prisoners safe and hidden. The male prisoners have means to protect the women and children if need be. The rest of the crew is on the highest guard. We're not under attack," _not yet_ was unspoken, "but they sailed out here without warning. I can't trust this."  
  
Sportacus made himself presentable to the best of his abilities, pulling his hair back enough to fit into a loose ponytail. Okay, he looked believable enough, like a real pirate. But why?  
  
"A-and who am I to be to you? What is my role here as we speak with them?"  
  
"You're my second-in-command. If you come dressed as someone lower than a crew member, they might want to try to trade for you. I don't want them to think they have that chance." The Captain placed his hands on Sportacus' shoulders, "You have no reason to like me, but a lot rests on us at this moment. And, in the event something happens..." He tightened his grip on Sportacus' shoulders, "Take my ship. Make sure my crew gets somewhere safe. They're like family and at this point, I don't know if they could survive alone. Take the prisoners, yourself..somewhere. Away from here. Just make sure Ella is safe if I can't come back.”  
  
He was right. Sportacus had absolutely no reason to like the Captain. He'd killed his people, burned his city to the ground, and kidnapped his best friend. But by god he couldn't help but admire him. More than he wished he did.  
  
A captain always goes down with his ship, but this one was choosing to go down without it. It was commendable, a true act of sacrifice. "I'll do that, Robbie.”  
  
Another squeeze was given to Sportacus' shoulders, a wordless “thank you” spoken. Rottenbeard turned, opening a secret door that held the treasure he would need for this exchange. He stuffed it in a bag, hefting it roughly over his shoulder.  
  
”Okay. Let's go." He led Sportacus out to a small boat which was lowered from the ship. All the crew members watched carefully as the two men sailed toward another ship, where 2 other men were standing with Ella, her hands and feet tied together, mouth covered. She looked like she'd been tied up there for so long. The sides of her mouth were raw, and it looked as though she'd been crying. Nevertheless, Sportacus was ready to lie through his teeth if necessary to save her. He knew how it felt for someone you loved to be taken away from you. He issued a cold glance at Rottenbeard as he remembered why they were even in this predicament. No use being resentful right now. There was the life of a young girl at stake.  
  
The Captain talked with the other men, and for a moment, everything seemed okay. But he was on edge. Shaking. The exchange finally began, Rottenbeard handing over the treasure, one of the other men making a move to hand Ella over...and then quickly pulled her back when the treasure was in their grasp.  
"FUCK!!! Ella!!!" He swiftly turned, "Sportacus, grab her!!!" Rottenbeard unsheathed his sword, making his way after the two cheating pirates.  
  
Apparently these men weren't looking for an honest deal, and truthfully Sportacus hadn't expected they would. He was given a sword, but his true skill was his physical strength. Rottenbeard had made a wise choice bringing him along. He pushed his hands down on the side of the ship before swinging a two legged kick right under the rib cage of Ella's captor. The man screamed in pain, Rottenbeard falling on the deck of the ship to catch Ella. As he picked her up, the other man rushed to stab him in the back, which was just barely missed. He plummeted face first onto the deck, Ella held tightly underneath him. There was a large gash in his overcoat where blood was starting to stain the fabric.  
  
"NO!" Sportacus jumped over a fallen barrel and angrily rushed the assailant to the ground, punching him at the top of his spinal cord as he used his legs to keep him grounded. He had to get these two back to the ship. The Captain wasn't allowed to die. He wouldn't let another young girl witness her uncle being killed, even if it was someone as deplorable as Rottenbeard.  
  
"God..damnit..." Rottenbeard pushed Ella towards Sportacus. "Take her. Now. Others will be on the way. You need to get the ship sailing. I...I'll find another way.”  
  
"No," Sportacus pulled the cloth out of the girl's mouth before throwing her over his shoulder, "You're not being left here!" He ducked down when he heard the first rifle shot blast a crate next to them into pieces. There were others coming...and plenty of them! "Grab my hand!" He reached for the wounded man, planning to toss him over his shoulder as well. With a shaking hand, Rottenbeard reached up and grabbed Sportacus' hand, holding it tightly. He wanted his crew, his niece, hell, even Sportacus, to get out of this alive. He hoped they would be able to leave in time.  
  
"I'm sorry about this." With a humongous heave, the Lord threw them both higher up onto his shoulders, lifting them with very little difficulty. He tried to be as tender as he could on the Captain’s side, as not to irritate his wound further. The bullets flew past them, one very nearly shooting off Sportacus' ear. He jumped into the rowboat with them and rowed as quickly as he could, telling the both of them to sink to the bottom to avoid bullet contact.  
  
When the boat reached the pirate ship, the crew members quickly pulled them up. With the energy Rottenbeard had left, he shouted at one of the crew members, "Take the helm!! We need to get out of here as fast as possible!!" All the crew members worked together flawlessly, steering the boat away and shooting cannons at the opposing ship. The Captain was losing consciousness fast, and Ella could barely see through her tears as she leaned next to her uncle.  
  
Sportacus got down to the girl's level and undid her bonds. "Take her to the prisoners," he commanded the crew with a voice just as domineering as the Captain’s, "Take her to Stephanie, please! They're the same age. She'll be able to help!" He then scrambled over to Rottenbeard on the ground, "Robbie," he didn't bother to use his last name, "Stay awake. Your niece is here. You can't die."  
  
Rottenbeard spit on the deck, blood mixing in with his saliva. "I'm not...gonna die," he buried his face in his arms, crew members who weren't battling surrounding him. Louis, the big one, carefully picked Robbie up and took his clothes off, leaving him in his undergarments. The Captain was terribly thin, slight muscle visible on his arms but there wasn't much to him under all the clothes. He had a gash in his back that was still producing blood, and he couldn't afford to lose more. The crew members quickly took him under the deck, getting out water, sterilizers, and bandages for his wound. By now Robbie was completely passed out.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rottenbeard's wound is just beginning its healing, and Sportacus finds out what happened to make the Captain despise nobles so much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for more kind words! Here's the next chapter!
> 
> I might not post another chapter until the weekend is over, because I'm going to Katsucon! Will anyone else be there?

Idiot. Rottenbeard was an absolute idiot. This whole time Sportacus was being harassed into eating more and the Captain was skin and bone. No wonder he passed out so quickly, but he was still worried, and he was NOT sitting aside while the crew members treated the Captain. Sportacus stormed down the steps to their makeshift hospital room, pushing the door open hastily. The crew didn't seem very pleased with him being down there, as if they blamed him for their captain's injuries.  
  
"Pack the wound," he instructed them boldly, "I'm a soldier. Wounds like this need to be stuffed with rags. Close it up and he dies.” The crew paused for just a moment before following Sportacus' orders, doing what he told them to do. They all stayed down there until the issue was solved and they were out of harm’s way. A couple of the crew members hesitated, not sure if they should leave the Captain alone with Sportacus or not. After a moment of debating, they agreed Rottenbeard was safe in the other’s hands, and went back up to inspect the ship and make sure everyone was okay.  
  
Sportacus had lost men before, but even as Captain of the LazyTown fleet, he had never been able to treat death as the others do. It was inevitable in his line of work, but his own morals prevented him from being emotionally detached.   
  
"Idiot," he scoffed with wet eyes, "What made you think that would be safe? These people depend on you..." He was speaking to the air, not looking for a real answer.  
  
—  
  
After maybe an hour, Ella came down to the lower deck, and she was holding Stephanie's hand. She seemed very weak, but was worried about her uncle. "Uncle Robbie..." she sobbed, "W-will be be okay..?" She looked at Sportacus with large eyes.      
  
"Your uncle...is a very surprising man," he got down to her level and rested a hand on her head, "I'm taking care of him." He gave her one of his reassuring smiles that he so often gave Stephanie, and now it seemed she was the one helping another person out.  
  
Ella sniffed, looking at the Captain, then back to Sportacus, "Thank you for helping him rescue me....he wouldn't have been able to do it without you." She looked down bashfully.  
  
"Ah, I don't know about that," Sportacus chuckled very quietly, "I bet he'd knock down tens of men just to get to you." He removed the fanciful neckerchief attached to his outfit and helped to dab at the girl's eyes.  
  
Ella smiled sadly and looked at Rottenbeard again, "Uncle is a lot thinner since I last saw him. I can't help but think...." she looked away guiltily. "...he used to eat quite a bit. I'm..I'm glad you found me."  
  
"Well, we'll just have to get him eating again, now, won't we?" He stood back up to his own height, letting her keep the neckerchief, "You're welcome, Ella." He gave Stephanie a rub on her own head. Ella nodded, rubbing her eyes before grabbing Stephanie's arm, hugging close to the other girl. It's only been an hour but the two seemed quite close already.  
  
Sportacus wasn't sure if Ella knew their situation at all. Was she aware of their servant status upon the ship? Of what horrid things her uncle had done and will inevitably do in the future? It was a tricky situation, and when Rottenbeard woke up from this, he'd have plenty of questions to ask him.   
  
But for now, ”Hey, why don't you two make some drawings for the Captain?" Sportacus noticed the face Stephanie was making. As helpful as she was, he didn't see her genuinely finding kindness in her heart for Rottenbeard or his crew anytime soon. "Stephanie," he gave her a knowing glance, "I think Ella would really like that."  
  
Ella hopped excitedly, holding Stephanie's hand, "Stephanie!! Would you like to do that with me? I know where we can get paper and stuff to draw with if it's in it’s usual place!!" She looked at the other girl expectantly.  
  
"Uhh," Stephanie’s eyes moved back and forth between Ella and Sportacus before she smiled with a sigh, "Okay. If...if they let me?" Stephanie was used to being chained up with the others, having free roam was rather odd.   
  
Ella swung Stephanie's hand, "Well I don't see why not? Uncle only chains his prisoners when there's danger ahead," So she did know the situation after all. "He's lonely and he does bad things because he's lonely. That's what I tell him anyways." She looked so calm while saying all this.  
  
Sportacus' mouth parted slightly, eyebrows raised at her insight. He couldn't tell if the girl's words made him feel better or worse. "You two run along then, okay? Draw him some nice cards. Preferably with drawings of a big, strong version of me saving his butt.”  
  
Ella giggled, "We'll make sure to do that!!" She then led Stephanie up to the deck to find drawing supplies.   
  
—  
  
Rottenbeard didn’t wake up until four in the afternoon, the day after the whole debacle. He groaned, hissing when he went to sit up. Sportacus had been leaning against the wall, eyes closed and his arms crossed when he heard the movement. Knowing that the captain was conscious, he looked visibly relieved, but he couldn't help scolding him.  
  
"You have to stay laying down, princess," he moved a hand on his chest so he would do just that, “You shouldn’t sit up just yet.”  
  
Rottenbeard grunted, laying back down, "Oh shut up..." he looked to the side, seeing the cards Ella and Stephanie made, “...Ella...she's okay?"  
  
"Better than ever. Her and Stephanie have become quite the little couple," he handed the man a card for him to look at.  
  
"Oh...well that's good," the Captain smiled slightly and looked at the card. He chuckled, "Quite the young artists. I wonder if they had some outside influence into the composition of the drawing?" He quirked an eyebrow at Sportacus, the card depicting the other rescuing him.

"Wow, that's really good..." Sportacus kneeled down to be eye-level with the card, holding his own chin like some art enthusiast, "Look at that hero rescuing that tiny, scared man!”  
  
Rottenbeard actually bellowed out a laugh, making him wince, but he smiled all the same, "At least I'm taller than you. Shortacus."  
  
"Yeah," he found himself rather enjoying this company, but with the Captain’s state of being, he didn't think it was much time for joking. "Well, at least I'm not stabbed," he moved to inspect the wound, "How do you feel?"  
  
"Ugh, like absolute shit. Everything hurts," Rottenbeard rubbed his temples, "Actually, can I get some water? That would be great right now."  
  
"Salty or sweet?" Sportacus joked before moving up to get some fresh water from the cabin above. While present, he alerted the men that their captain was awake, but that they'd have to wait until given the approval to see him. To his surprise, they complied. It seems Ella's admiration for her uncle had led the crew to trust him a bit more. After a moment, he came back down with a bucket of water and a washcloth, "Here," he soaked it and made to place it into the other’s mouth, "It's better for you to drink this way. Too much water too quick could disrupt the healing process.”  
  
"Ah...okay." Rottenbeard drank the water Sportacus gave him, so his mouth wasn't so dry anymore. Without much thought, spoke, "Could you tell the crew that the prisoners can be unchained now? There's no more need for them to be," he also mumbled something about shaving his beard before he drank more water.  
  
"...You talked a big talk the other day, Rottenbeard," Sportacus squinted his eyes accusingly, "Why not tell my citizens they wouldn't be locked up forever? You captured us for a reason...why not just ask my soldiers to assist you with the deal? That was kidnapping. We would have happily journeyed to get your niece back."  
  
Rottenbeard sputtered, realizing what he'd just said, "Uh..." he straightened up a little, as much as he could with his back injury. "Well, as it is, I am a pirate, and I couldn't have acquired all that treasure without some pillaging." He refused eye contact with Sportacus, totally different from his demeanor days before, "I'm a disgusting pirate but that doesn't mean that my prisoners have to be chained up forever."  
  
"You are a disgusting pirate,” the Lord admitted before taking the rag, dipping it in the bucket again, and placing it back into the other’s mouth, "But...not very good at acting like one.”  
  
Rottenbeard frowned, "Yeah well you're a disgusting, wretched noble." He sipped at the water, "..but I guess you're not so bad."  
  
Sportacus raised his eyebrows, a little smirk crossing his face. "I'll never understand people like you. The government is meant to protect and serve. I don't recall ever doing anything to hurt you.”  
  
“Yeah, well it's not like you know me, or my family." The mood totally shifted now, a deep frown settled on the Captain’s face. "You don't know at all.”  
"I..." Sportacus hadn't mentioned anything about his family. Rottenbeard was in too much of a precarious predicament to start an argument right now. "I'm sorry. All I know is that your niece is very kind. Just like you described."  
  
"Yeah, well... there's a reason she's the only family I have left." And with that, he turned away from Sportacus, pulling the cover over himself and in no mood to talk anymore.  
  
The Lord’s lips thinned and he nodded knowingly. Perhaps it'd be best to leave him with someone else to look after him for a bit. He'd said too much, apparently. Before Sportacus left, he made sure to refill the bucket of water, and to push a little card next to it that he had made with the girls. On it was a little ship and the words "Sail On."  
  
Rottenbeard stared at the card for a long while, sighing as he drifted back off into sleep.   
  
—  
  
After dinner that night, Ella had come to give her uncle lots of food, probably more than his stomach could handle right now. She talked with him for a long while, and by the time Sportacus was to come to bed, Rottenbeard had his face clean-shaven to reveal his large chin that had been under all the hair. Ella had helped him, and they were softly talking about something. Sportacus hesitated when he'd come into the room, and actually began to close the door so he wouldn't intrude. However, he was distracted by the shaven Captain long enough to be noticed.  
  
"Sportacus!" Ella ran up to the man and hugged him. She beamed up at Sportacus, just comfortable to be in his presence. Rottenbeard seemed to be surprised for only a moment on how excited his niece was to see the noble, but his face quickly softened as he watched Ella bouncing happily.  
  
 "Ella, it's bed time, now. You wanted to sleep with Stephanie, right?"   
  
"Oh! Yeah!!" Ella hopped back over and gave a quick kiss to her uncle’s head before bounding out of the room, leaving Sportacus and Rottenbeard alone now.  
  
"Mmmph," Sportacus acknowledged his presence with a grunt, awkwardly making his way to the hammock designated for him. He didn't want to upset the pirate any further...but he felt odd in the silence, "I see you shaved..."  
  
"...yeah..." Rottenbeard rubbed his chin idly, laying flat on his back once again. "Don't want the beard to get too long...and I don't want anyone spotting me right away." He sighed into the darkness, the only light a dim lantern.  
  
"We'll have to start calling you 'Rotten-Chin'," Sportacus hesitantly chortled, stripping himself of the fancy clothes he had been instructed to wear that evening to just his pants. The lantern gave off a surprising amount of heat, and the Captain's stitch-work used some heavy wool.  
  
Rottenbeard let out a huff of laughter, but said nothing more. The air was thick with silence for a few minutes, one would’ve almost thought the man was asleep.  
  
"Nobles...killed my family." He suddenly spoke up, and then paused. "My parents. My brothers." Another long pause. "Pirating ran in the family. I didn't choose the family I was born into, but they loved me. My older brother, Glanni, had Ella before they were slaughtered. I had three younger brothers, Tobby, Flobby, and Bobby. All of that, gone. The only reason I wasn't killed was because I was taking Ella out to buy food for dinner. When we returned, our ship was on fire, and our family hanged. I hate nobles and how they think they're so high and mighty. They think they know everything. They think they can do anything they want." He was clenching his fists hard into his blanket. His jaw was clenched. "That's why I hate nobles, Sportacus. They have never been good to anyone I've known. So I kept up the family business, and I still plan to." A very long pause. "You're the only good nobleman I've ever met," was whispered into the darkness.  
  
Sportacus' body stiffened as he he listened to this tale, the tone and atmosphere making it all feel like some distant mourning song from a group of sirens out at sea. But it was all too real. And too personal. Because...he had heard this story before. From his General, whom he lovingly referred to as Number 9. In training, he'd tell a story about how they took out a whole family of pirates in one go, with only a few men, a match, and some rope. 

Rotten...the family's name had been Rotten.  
  
"A Nobleman is supposed to protect his people. I didn't do that, Captain. I failed," he rubbed at his temples in defeat, "So I'm also the least noble of the noblemen you've met."  
  
A soft choke left the Captain’s lips, the lantern going out. Rottenbeard said nothing more, and the only sounds following the men to sleep were muffled sobs.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the anime beach episode.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, all! I'm back from Katsu and I've got a new chapter for you! This one's a bit short, but it's leading up to the next chapter, which is a bit heavier emotionally! Take this as the calm before the storm.

Sportacus slept well into the afternoon, absolutely exhausted by all the excitement from the day before. His arm was wrapped around his head comfortably as he continued to snore into the cloth. He could just stay that way forever.  
  
Unfortunately for the Captain, his insomnia didn’t let him sleep much that night, and he laid awake in bed, staring up at the ceiling. There was a soft knock on the door, Ella coming in with a plateful of food. She kept quiet, going over to her uncle and whispering to him about how badly he needed to gain weight back, and he would softly comply, eating the food Ella brought him. Sportacus groaned in his sleep, awoken by the smell of food attacking his senses. He pretended to be asleep, eyes just barely open as he watched the two whisper to each other. It was cute, so strangely unlike a pirate. Then very softly, Rottenbeard shooed Ella over to the other man. He wasn't able to eat much, but he stuffed himself with what he could.   
  
Ella poked Sportacus' head softly, "Sportacus? Are you awake?" She cocked her head.  
  
He opened a single eye with a tired smirk, "Mmm. Morning, 'Captain'," he sat up in bed and addressed the girl with respect.  
  
Rottenbeard gave a complaining whine from across the room, making Ella giggle wildly. She smiled big and held the tray to Sportacus, "I made sure to grab fruits for you! Stephanie said you really like those."  
  
"Aw, thank you," he accepted the fruits with a grin and chuckled lowly at the Captain's outburst, "The crew already eat today?”  
  
Ella nodded, "We didn't want to disturb you. It's well into the afternoon." She smiled softly. "We've docked at a small island if you want to check it out. Everyone is taking a day to relax."  
  
"Is it inhabited?" Sportacus asked as he redressed himself in his blouse.  
  
Ella shook her head, "Nope! It's basically just a small beach. There's some trees. It's nice and relaxing.”  
  
Sportacus glanced at the Captain, whose wounds were thankfully bruising. That was a good sign. "Some relaxation would be nice.”  
  
Ella smiled, "You can join us any time!" She looked over at her uncle worriedly. He looked a little bummed. "Would it be safe for uncle to come out too? I don't want him to be alone…”  
  
”I'm no doctor..." Sportacus ran a hand through his hair, "But as long as he keeps his wound out of the water, I feel like he'll be fine.”  
  
Ella cheered, "You can come outside, uncle Robbie!"   
  
Rottenbeard smiled slightly, "I'm going to need my parasol at least. You know how easily I burn, and I probably have to keep my back exposed.” Ella nodded fast, quickly rummaging through his things before pulling out a large, purple parasol. "Here it is!!!”  
  
Sportacus watched the exchange with wide-eyed disbelief, bringing a hand to his mouth to hide his obvious laughter. Parasol? What an absolute fop!  "You'll also need a bucket to keep your wound clean."  
  
Rottenbeard and Ella both raised an incredulous eyebrow at Sportacus' laughter, not understanding what there was to be laughing about. "Oh right, that too."  
  
"I'll go set up that for you, uncle!" Ella smiled and ran off to grab a bucket of water and a rag for the Captain’s back.  
  
Rottenbeard waited in the bed anxiously, "...well do I have to actually ask you to pick me up or are you just going to do it? I don't think I can walk right now.”  
  
"I'll take that as a command," Sportacus very softly wrapped an arm around his side, wary of the injury on his back, "Don't drop your parasol, princess.”  
  
"I'm going to kick your ass if you call me princess again, so help me," the Captain growled lowly. "I could just NOT use my parasol and then not only will my skin be all red, but it would probably make my already festering wound worse and everyone would have to look at how nasty it is and also I might die."  
  
Sportacus rolled his eyes, "If not a princess, may I call you a drama queen, then?" He walked across the dock and teased him under his breath, knowing the man could do absolutely nothing to him when tossed across his back like this.  
  
"Fuck you," Rottenbeard audibly pouted, letting his arms dangle over Sportacus' back. Damn he had a nice view of his ass like this…

There was a cheeky answer that Sportacus decided he'd better not give as the two joined the rest of the crew and servants on the beach. He had suspected his citizens to be moping, maybe even considering an escape. But no! They were running around, having fun. The men and women were excited to see each other again, as they were usually separated. He walked across the hot sand and placed the Captain under a shady tree to oversee the fun.  
  
Rottenbeard sighed at the warm air and the cool breeze coming off the sea. He set up his parasol which shielded him from the sun, and he let himself relax. He had Ella back, and that's all that mattered, but watching everyone have fun created a warmth inside him. And then he looked at Sportacus. He had never expected the relationship they had to come out of this. He felt like he could trust him. He was also...pretty hot. He bit his lip and looked back out to the sea, trying not to think about that too much.  
  
Sportacus was taking this time to exercise. There wasn't much room for movement on deck, so the open, sandy beach was an absolute blessing. After a few pushups, he moved to start climbing the coconut trees and tossing them down to the LazyTown prisoners.   
  
"Heads up!!" He warned the Captain before tossing a coconut his way. He didn't quite hear Sportacus in time, being lost in his own thoughts. Rottenbeard turned around, the coconut hitting him straight in the face. The fun stopped for a moment, everyone zeroed in on the Captain’s reaction. The Captain blinked once, then twice, before noticing his nose was bleeding. "For fuck's sake," he complained, but he did laugh a little, and any of the crew members who didn't realize they were holding a breath, released it.  
  
Sportacus had not let himself drop down from the tree until Rottenbeard began to chuckle to himself. "I-I'm sorry, Captain." He looked genuinely concerned as he slammed down to the sand below on all fours.  
  
"It's fine, Sportasplat, I was lost in my own thoughts," Rottenbeard continuously wiped at his nose, using the nearby sea water to wash the blood off his hands.  
  
"May I?" Sportacus took the rag that had been brought out with his bucket to wipe the man’s nose. The surrounding crew looked quite surprised. Not many could get close to the Captain like that without a mark. While the crew members stood agape, Rottenbeard calmly let the other wipe his nose. He was grumbling some incoherent complaints, but he overall found the situation a little funny, and this was the closest their faces had ever been, so he was a little warm inside.  
  
Sportacus was feeling the same way, but he chalked it up to the blazing sun. It was so strange to see all of the man's face. Without his beard, he was able to see his strong chin, fair skin, and a very expressive face. They were comical at some points, but in an endearing way. He finished cleaning him up with a soft smile before turning around to go play with the kids.   
  
The Captain sighed as he watched Sportacus play, soon getting bored with just sitting and watching everyone while he dealt with his back. Then he got an idea. He called Ella over and had her grab some fabrics for him, and she brought out everything he needed. While everyone had fun running around, Rottenbeard set to work with his fabrics, listening to the background noise of laughter.  
  
The first piece of clothing he made was for Stephanie. She had become fast friends with his niece and he was actually very grateful. It was a pink sundress for wearing on the beach. He had Ella give it to her because he knew he wasn't too favored by the new...servants. A better word than prisoners now. They deserved some new garments, instead of wearing the roughed up clothes they were captured in. He continually made new articles of clothing, having a knack for making things without getting exact measurements. He made garment after garment, new, clean, comfortable clothes for all the new servants. Ella handed out every single piece of clothing, and as the day was settling away, Rottenbeard even made relaxing clothes for Sportacus. Now he felt entirely exhausted. He burnt himself out not only physically, but emotionally. That was...too nice of him. It felt a little good, though.  
  
Sportacus, on the other hand, splashed around with the kids, burning the energy he hadn’t been able to get out on the ship, and although he was having fun, his thoughts were elsewhere. He had to remind himself that he was still in a hostage situation. They were slaves here: Stolen from their burnt village and forced into labor. _And_ he was a military official, and therefore still legally obligated to the Queen to bring these pirates to trial. What he was doing was treasonous. He tried not to think about that for the time being. When he had received the clothes Rottenbeard had made for him from Ella, he looked over at the man. Yes…everyone needed a break. His people, the crew, and even the Captain. He would worry about his impending responsibilities another time.   
  



	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Robbie and Sportacus don't understand how to express their feelings well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a mentioning of how gay people used to be put in asylums, that's about my only warning for this chapter! Other than that, these boys are sad and gay and release their feelings poorly. 
> 
> Thank you for all the kind words and kudos!

Sportacus was admiring all the new clothes Rottenbeard had made for him in the past month with an incredulous expression, holding them on his arms like he was a coat rack while looking into the mirror. Soft, well fitting, and stylish. Anyone would pay money for them.  
  
"Captain, these are...amazing! Where did you learn to sew like that?"  
  
Rottenbeard laid back, sprawled out on the bed. His injury was almost healed now, a pink scar beginning on his back, but the area was still very tender. He was still quite thin, but his condition was getting better by the day. He looked towards Sportacus, "What? Oh. My mother taught me the basics. I learned more on my own once I had to start taking care of Ella by myself.”  
  
"You could sell these for good money," Sportacus tried on another puffy shirt that he deemed the best fitting, "It's what the noblemen would call...'high end.'"  
  
"Tch, I would never make clothes for nobles." The Captain rolled his head over, “Well...I guess except you." He tapped his fingers on the bed a moment, "Sporty. I want you to call me Robbie from now on."  
  
Sportacus' impressed face fell into owl-like surprise. "Really? Are you sure Cap—er, Robbie?”  
  
"Yeah, well...you saved my life. That counts for something. Plus it'll place you above the other crew members. They’ve been warming up to you." He hummed a moment. "The prisoners are also technically crew members as well since they’re no longer bound. They'll be paid and so will you."  
  
“I—,”  Sportacus didn't know what to say. That almost seemed…sweet? He loved that idea, it felt right. It felt like a fairy tale. He could see himself stealing riches with the Captain, fighting gangs and sailing the seven seas until the world ended. However, "Robbie," he said softly, “I…I can't. I'm the Captain of the Royal Guard. I work for the Queen. I can't be a..." he sat down on his hammock and rubbed the back of his neck, "a pirate."  
  
"I know that," _Robbie_ said matter-of-factly, but he had his head turned away. "Once we can pay back your town, you can all go home. Every one of you. If I had....if I had known people like...you lived there, I would never have done what I did. You'll all be fully functioning crew members until then." His voice faltered a moment, "And then you'll never have to see my ugly mug again once we've paid our debts."  
  
"Robbie, that's not...I just..." Sportacus stumbled over his words a bit. Why was he feeling this way? Why did he get that strange, uncomfortable feeling now? Like he wanted to stay? To see "Rottenbeard" heal and continue to sail the seas? But he had to turn them in. Had to...but he didn't want to.  
  
But first and foremost he didn't want the man to be acting this way. "You're not an ugly man, Robbie."  
  
"That's a laugh," the Captain snorted. His throat tightened up and his face went hot, continuing to keep his head turned away from Sportacus. Why. Why whywhywhywhy. Out of all the things he could say...why that? It only made him feel worse about all this, knowing Sportacus would have to leave eventually. 

"I mean...I assumed you'd be able to tell, being a confident pirate and all..." Sportacus scratched his own chin, honestly surprised that Robbie didn't instantly agree with him, "I think your female crew members would agree!"  
  
Something hot bubbled up inside Robbie’s chest. What was he feeling? Fear? Sadness? Rage? Of course Sportacus would say that...he was considered mentally ill for finding men attractive, after all. "Don't..." he tried to control himself, hands clutching the bed sheets, "Don't toy with me like this Sportacus..." His throat felt constricted, "You don't need to say stuff like that just because there's a lot hanging over your head right now."  
  
"No!" Sportacus honest to god looked fearful, not for himself, but for the mental state of his companion. "No! I wouldn't say that! I mean, I would never _just_ say that," he headed closer to the man instead of backing away, chest heaving up and down, "You're very handsome, Robbie!" His eyes were wide, and without thinking he said the first thing that came to his mind.  
  
"I think you're very attractive!!!"  
  
Robbie grabbed the pillow and threw it at Sportacus, his chest heaving as he stared wildly at the other man. "I said DON’T TOY WITH ME!!" He didn't mean to yell so loud, but his emotions were overwhelming him, and large tears began falling from his eyes. "I've been falling in love with you this whole god damn time and you can't just come at me with that!! What the fuck? What the actual fuck???" He threw his other pillow at Sportacus, his breathing becoming erratic.  
  
Falling in love?  
  
Is that what this was? This...feeling? No, it couldn't be. He'd never thought...with a man? "Ahg, Robbie!" He blocked his face when the second pillow hit, his eyes just as wide as the Captain's, his breathing just as fearful. "Robbie. Robbie." He said his name over and over, grabbing his small wrists and making him look at him. Don't cry please. Don't cry.  
  
"Don't cry," Sportacus said aloud, tears welling up in his own eyes, "Please don't cry.”  
  
Tears kept falling down Robbie’s face, and he shook his head, trying weakly to release himself from Sportacus' grasp. He was biting his lip, enough to draw blood, "Don't...fucking touch me!!" He tried a little harder to pull himself away, before ultimately giving up and full out sobbing, "Throw me in a god damn asylum...actually just fucking kill me..." he kept shaking his head, tears continuously falling.  
  
Words couldn't express just how sick he felt holding such a fragile man in his hands...so Sportacus decided to pick up the pieces and hold him in his arms instead. He pulled him close, burrowing his face into his shoulder as Robbie continued to release it all. Once he quieted down just enough, he gave him a reassuring squeeze. "I'm not putting you anywhere, Robbie."  
  
The tears were ever present, his breathing irregular. Robbie held to himself while Sportacus held him, "Well why the fuck wouldn't you? I'm a piece of garbage. I'm a pirate and I like men. I deserve to die, don't I?" His voice sounded like he'd completely given up now.  
  
"Nobody deserves to die," Sportacus stated plainly, and subconsciously curled fingers through the man’s hair, "My people shouldn't have killed your family. And your people shouldn't have killed mine..." His crying was getting a bit hard to control as well, "You deserve nothing but...but..." he just squeezed him tighter, smooshing his face into the crumpled man's hair, trying his best to...kiss it.  
  
Robbie actually felt like he was going to pass out. Suddenly he felt entirely overstimulated, too many things happening at once. He was having a hard time breathing at this point, and his shock took over his body, and he felt himself slump against Sportacus, his face in his chest.  
  
"Robbie...!" he backed up to give the man more room to breathe, but still held him loosely to lay him down on the bed. Of course this was too much for him. He had a tendency to get so excited over things, and mixing that with his current state of health would not do. Sportacus laid next to him to give him any reassurance he needed.  
  
Robbie was shaking, and he weakly placed his hands over his eyes. Just when he thought he'd run out of tears, more came. "Why....why are you doing this..."  
  
Seeing Robbie like this was literally killing him. Sportacus could feel every atom of his being shatter, every dry sob was like someone pulling on his heart. But he didn't understand why. "I don't know," he choked out, face just inches away from the Captain’s as they both lay sideways in the bed.  
  
Robbie could barely breathe. How was anything happening right now real? He finally made eye contact with Sportacus, looking at the man who was just centimeters from him in his own bed. Moving closer, slowly, Robbie placed his hand on Sportacus' cheek, and with a bit of hesitation, kissed him.  
  
The Captain's heart was pounding in the noble’s ears. This was frightening for him, for he'd just done something he never imagined doing. Any good Captain of the Guard had a well thought-out strategy when they entered into battle, but now he'd fallen into uncharted seas. The lips against his own tasted salty, and warm from the tears, with a hint of iron from the man's bleeding lip. Even then, Sportacus allowed himself to be kissed, and towards the end, even seemed to be kissing back.  
  
Sportacus tasted like apples. Like safety. With a hint of coconut. Robbie lost himself in the sensation, before fully realizing what he was doing. He scrambled back in the bed, wincing when his back hit the wall. He grabbed his blankets and immediately hid under them, honestly wishing he could just die there and then.  
  
Sportacus took a moment to bring himself back to reality, and his eyes fluttered open when he heard something hit the wall. Robbie was under the covers, quivering like a child. He didn't know what to think about what just happened, but it didn't feel...bad.  
  
"Robbie," he asked softly, "Would you please come out?”  
  
Momentarily, Robbie poked his head out from under the covers. The tall man seemed so small and fragile, especially in this moment. He met the other man's gaze hesitantly, waiting for him to say something.

Sportacus used a calloused thumb to wipe under the man's tear-stained eyes. "I'm a little scared," he admitted, face just as close as it was before, “But...can you do that to me again?”  
  
Robbie shook, looking at Sportacus for something. He wasn't sure what, but he returned the scared look the other was giving him. Slowly, he moved closer once again, pulling him close and kissing him once more. This time Sportacus felt better prepared. Was this what love was? He wasn't so sure about that. For one thing it hurt. It hurt him a LOT. Seeing Robbie trembling made his world feel like it was crashing down on him. Why would so many people seek out an emotion that could torture them this way? He pressed his lips timidly against the other’s, arms at his sides and carefully making sure to avoid Robbie's healing injury at all costs.  
  
Robbie felt a deep conviction for Sportacus, and he wanted to love him more, wanted all this to be real...but he knew in the end, even as a pirate, liking men this way was not...accepted. He felt disgusting, even as Sportacus was lying here with him, actually letting him kiss him. He felt another sob break out, and he clutched to the other man, pressing their foreheads together.  
  
Sportacus' stomach flipped when the kiss ended. Not because he didn't want to do it, he'd just wished it were on better terms. He held the man tightly, resuming his role of the caretaker as he wept.  
  
"You know..." he sniffled, trying to sound mature, "You being a pirate is alright with me. And liking men? I don't think that really matters in the long run. I mean...people on the sea, it's like you live in totally different worlds. You're free to do what you want. I don't see why you should compare your morality with the rest of the world," Sportacus pressed their foreheads together once more, "Sorry. I'm preaching.”  
  
Robbie held tightly to Sportacus, his body shaking, "...you know.." he chuckled lightly, "I...never thought I would ever get to kiss anyone in my life. Like this. I’ve known for…a long time. And I know what happens to people like me. They get sent to the asylums with the people who have hallucinations, the people who have other personalities…the people who try to kill themselves. I've been so scared to say anything, even to my own crew. The only one who knows is Ella, and I'm hoping...she'll carry her accepting nature with her into her own generation.”  
  
The crew seemed open to using men's bodies for pleasure, but that was completely different from what Robbie was admitting. That was sexual pleasure, something pirates had always had a craving for. This was deeper.  
  
"Stephanie used to tell me that she thought girls were very pretty," Sportacus admitted to the man, "Since her classmates had teased her for it, she's stopped mentioning it...but this sort of thing isn't new to me."  
  
Robbie was silent for a moment, "Stephanie is a very wonderful girl. She and Ella have been getting along quite well..." he gave a small smile, keeping their foreheads connected. He finally felt like he could breathe again. "I guess you just weren't expecting a nasty pirate captain to fall in love with you, huh?"  
  
Sportacus was visibly relieved to see the Captain's usual personality coming back, "I really wasn't expecting anyone to fall in love with me…princess."  
  
A rumble of laughter came from within Robbie's chest, and he found himself hesitantly placing another kiss to Sportacus' lips, "Oh, come on now. You're a very beautiful man, Sportacus. Anyone would be lucky to have you."  
  
"You must be a very lucky man then, sir..." He boldly kissed Robbie back, face flushing at his own words. Saying all these things still felt oddly dirty. He chalked it up to what he'd been told about piracy and debauchery, but if he was sinning, then honestly he didn't care right now. He'd already broken the law cavorting with a pirate captain. If anyone ever found our about _this_... He ran a hand around the back of the Captain’s neck, trying to ignore his fate.  
  
Robbie blushed heavily at Sportacus' words, wrapping his arms around the larger man. How he would love to stay like this forever... "Sportacus...will you…rest with me in my bed tonight?"  
  
"If you'll let me," the noble replied humbly, ears heating up as well. He didn't want to leave the Captain's side at this point.  
  
Robbie moved to place his head by Sportacus' chest, listening to the other's heartbeat for a moment, "I think...I might actually be able to sleep tonight." He closed his eyes, arms wrapped tightly around the man's waist.  
  
"Good," Sportacus ran a hand through his hair, "You really need to rest...I need you to sleep.” And with that, both men easily fell into slumber, the rhythm of their breathing matching up.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew kicks some ass and steals some shit and Sportacus is enjoying himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for the kind words and kudos! Please enjoy this fun-filled chapter as a recovery from last time.
> 
> Next chapter is the smut you've all been waiting for, as a heads up.

A week passed after their incident. The Captain’s wound was scarred over now, and he was visibly getting stronger, but it would still take a while to get to the point Ella claimed he used to be at. Robbie was up that morning, standing in front of the mirror in his chambers and shaving, not ready for another beard to grow in just yet.  
  
Sportacus watched him sleepily from his place on the bed, smiling at how meticulous the Captain was about getting every last piece of hair. They were now used to sleeping together, but so far nothing had been consummated yet. They simply exchanged very chaste kisses, and whenever Robbie woke up with a start or couldn't sleep, the other would be there to hold him and coo him to rest. Outside of the bedroom, they would sail westward for a journey that Sportacus didn't fully understand as of yet, but the crew seemed to be quite excited for it. Right now the ship was docked for the morning, so the two men were getting ready.   
  
"Robbie, have you ever seen a mermaid?"  
  
"Hmm..." The Captain pursed his lips, finishing getting the hairs off his upper lip, "I can't say I have. It would be an honor to see one, though. Except they can be dangerous..." He cringed, "I'm absolutely terrified of sirens though. I never want to run into any of those."  
  
"So you think they're real?" Sportacus always heard sailors talk about them, but he'd always thought it was an old wives' tale to keep their husbands faithful at sea.  
  
"Sirens are very real. On my father’s ship, we got too close to their territory and we lost some men. It took a lot to finally steer the ship away." He rubbed his chin, "The things they sing about aren't just sexual desire like everyone says, though. It's any desire you might have. Fame, money, love, acceptance…anything. The thing you want most." He shivered.  
  
Sportacus looked absolutely fascinated by the subject, and sat up in bed with a curious expression. "But can they really cause you to drown yourself? I could never imagine a sane man being that overcome by desire for something?"  
  
"Once they have you caught in their trap, it's hard to break free if someone isn’t physically holding you back. You're no longer sane in that state. They show you what you desire, like it's right in front of you, and you follow that desire deeper and deeper into the water until you eventually drown," Robbie sighed.  
  
Sportacus sucked in some air, held it, and let it out with a long exhale. "Seems like an awful lot of work for...what, a meal? I'm not actually sure what happens after you drown."  
  
"It's their livelihood. Unfortunately." Robbie grimaced, setting down his razor and wiping his face off. "People venture to the sirens because they hold some of the greatest treasures on earth. But it's not worth it if you're going to lose so many people."  
  
Sportacus shuddered at the thought. Still, he had to admit the idea was fantastical. "Then riddle me this: What sort of treasure is worth seeking? Pirates love riches...but what would you even do with it all?" He rolled over on the bed, "I never really saw the point in it."  
  
The Captain pulled his pants and belt on, sliding on his boots, "A lot of pirates do it for fame. To be the best pirate by having the most treasure. Hoarders. For the fun of stealing, and pillaging. And then..." he paused, "sometimes you've got nowhere else to go. And stealing is the only way you can get money for you and your crew. But most of all, a big 'fuck off' to the nobles. Like they need all that money..."  
  
Sportacus smiled widely at his last answer and slipped his nightclothes off in favor of one of the lavish shirts Robbie had made him, "Oh, now I see how you really feel about me," he giggled and smacked him lightly in the back with his rolled up nightdress.  
  
Robbie jumped, "Hey!!!" He turned around, rubbing his back, "You know that's not how I see you!" He blushed slightly, "You actually care about people. That's not a quality I see in a lot of the higher class."  
  
"Well, you've never been to LazyTown then!" Sportacus’ face fell slightly when he remembered that, indeed, he HAD been, but not on good, or morally correct, terms, "The people and the nobility acted no different from one another," he didn't want to discredit Robbie's past experiences though, so he added, "but I understand that's a rarity."  
  
The Captain's face fell, grabbing his sword and sheathing it, "That's why I feel terrible. I would've never..." he closed his eyes tight, before opening them again. "I would have never pillaged your town had I known it was under new management. I didn’t..." he rubbed his face, "LazyTown was a much different place when I was younger. And I thought it was still the same."  
  
Sportacus thought on his childhood, trying to remember if there was ever a time when he'd crossed paths with a 'Rotten'. Number Nine, the man who raised him, had made sure there would never be a chance for it. He had been an expert at keeping pirates at bay, and pushing any degenerates out, but lately he hadn't been looking at him in a very good light… "Things change."  
  
"Yes... I suppose they do," Robbie looked at Sportacus guiltily, "I just wish I had realized it sooner."  
  
"Don't think about it," he stood on his tip-toes and mussed up the Captain's hair, "So...what's the agenda, today? Other than watching you primp?”  
  
Robbie smiled slightly, "We're heading to the Glutton Islands. There's some trading...and stealing...we need to do there. Their treasury has been ignoring the poverty of the people. Aside from that...they have really good food. Pleasant shopping."  
  
"Stealing?" His face fell slightly. The last few weeks they had been on board had been largely uneventful in terms of actual piracy, and the idea made Sportacus a little uneasy,  "And returning the riches to the citizens, correct?"  
  
"Well, yes. But we will be taking some for ourselves, as well." He had a self-satisfied smile on his face. "As usual, I'll send you out to get food. You won't have to participate in the actual piracy."  
  
Sportacus had felt so physically agitated lately. He wanted to get out and move, not just harvest coconuts and shuck corn. The adrenaline he felt the night they saved Ella was lingering in his bones. He was hungry to do something else.

"Robbie," he began his sentence like he was offering a shy sales pitch, "What if I...didn't go with the others to get food this time?"  
  
Robbie blinked, "...You...want to come pillaging with us..?"  
  
"N-not pillaging, per say, but if you maybe need someone strong to just...tag along? You know, if something bad happens!" he held his arms out, "I will _not_ let you lay a finger on the townspeople, though."  
  
"Fine, fine, it's not the townspeople I want anyways. We're getting rid of the treasurer." Robbie hummed, "Having you come along may prove useful, though...especially for this mission. Okay, Sport,” Robbie laid his hand on the other’s shoulder, "You will come complete this mission with us when we reach the islands."  
  
"Fantastic," his heart beat at the thought, but he smiled up at the Captain with excitement. What was he doing? Did he just ask to be a part of a marauding scheme? Oh God, what would his superiors think? Ah, that was actually an important question. "Would I be able to wear that pirate outfit again? I know officials in the capitol of Glutton, and I don't need them to recognize me."  
  
"Of course! I would've had you wear it anyways," he chuckled. "You've got a bit of a beard growing in too, no one should recognize you," Robbie smiled, rubbing at the scruff on Sportacus' face.  
  
"Ah, yeah..." he'd meant to shave today after Robbie was done, but this would hide his identity. He couldn't help but feel excited, which made him feel slightly ill. Was he about to be a part of the very same sort of pillaging that led to the destruction of LazyTown? He made it a vow to help anyone in need on this mission, pirate or not.  
  
Robbie smiled at Sportacus a moment, "Well. No time to waste!" He bandaged around his wound to keep it safe, putting on his full captain’s attire, which he hasn't worn since saving Ella. He sewed up the back where it was torn by the opposing sword. "Judging by how long we've sailed, we should be on the islands in the next couple of hours. Best to be ready now."  
  
"Right," Sportacus searched through Robbie's boudoir for his nicest frock, knickers, and finally the jacket that had been done up for him. Yes, with this outfit, nobody would recognize him! Especially with his hair growing at this rate, he looked like a regular pirate!   
  
Not...not that he wanted to be. While it was so unlike him, Sportacus pushed away that little conscience in the back of his head saying this wasn't right. This was just one fun excursion to get some exercise, and in the long run, this heist was going to help the impoverished folks of the Glutton Islands. He turned around in his outfit, hair falling to his shoulders with a shy grin, "Am I Captain material?"  
  
Robbie blushed, a hand over his face as he nodded quickly, "Y-yep," his voice came in a higher octave than he intended, "I mean...yes. You look...impressive. Anyone would think you to be a pirate captain."  
  
"I'll never be able to act as nasty as you, though," he chuckled and pushed Robbie to the side jokingly to find his own sword among their collection. The Captain presented his swords lavishly in a glass case, each one stacked in order of importance. Sportacus', of course, was at the bottom.  
  
Robbie smirked, "I'm the nastiest, you'll never be able to surpass me in that respect," he chuckled and grabbed his own sword, the top one, after Sportacus had grabbed his. He sheathed it in his belt, "To the helm! We'll make a fool out of the treasury today!" He shouted the last part as he headed on deck, his crew shouting in affirmation.  
  
Sportacus almost repeated his “To the helm!” like a regular member of his crew, but kept silent out of embarrassment and humility. It's not like he was special in comparison to the other servants, so the fact that he was done up like this may have had them suspicious. But... ah, he was just having too much fun! It all felt like a silly game, and he really liked it.  
  
The Captain steered the ship for a while without much talk. After a bit, he turned to Sportacus, "Hey, I know I know my crew...and you're starting to know my crew...but...if I came out to them...do you think they'd care?"  
  
Sportacus thought on that. That was a humongous step for Robbie to take, and he was pretty proud of him for it! But would it be safe?  
  
"All I can say is that..." he rubbed his thumb against the edge of the map, "I feel it would be safe. If they would care, I am not so sure..." There were a few men on board that he did not find favor with, but he rarely brought that up with the Captain. Robbie loved his crew members like family, so if he ever brought up certain incidents, he feared there would be a squabble. He didn't think any of them would become violent if Robbie came out, however. "I think all of them would respect you for it."  
  
Robbie stared at the wheel for a moment, before looking at Sportacus. "If this mission is a total success, I'll tell them while we have our meal together tonight."  
  
"And if it's not?" He looked at him sympathetically as the foggy outline of the islands appeared in the distance.  
  
"Well...I suppose I'll still tell them at some point. Just not as soon." The Captain smiled slightly, before they came upon the islands. "Avast, my crew! The islands are upon us! We take no prisoners today, but we must get rid of the wretched, tyrannical treasurer! That is our first priority, before anything else! Now ready yourselves, men!" Everyone shouted "AYE!" and when they landed on the main island, the first string of crew members charged into town. "Come with me, Sportacus! We have the biggest job to do. Everyone else is the distraction." While not having all his strength back, he was still able to swiftly depart off the boat, his crew members creating an easy path for them to the treasury.  
  
Sportacus looked to his own people for a moment before jumping off board, watching as they unloaded their supplies for fruit gathering. Stephanie was on the shores and looked about in confusion, wondering where Sportacus was. Ella soon ran up to join her, however, and the girls moved to start knocking bananas out of trees. Heh. Very cute together. He decided she would be fine without him today. Sportacus didn't even think he wanted to tell Stephanie what he was doing. Real piracy was a sore subject, and it went against everything he'd always taught her.

But she didn't have to know. With a determined grin, he hopped off board to run after the Captain.  
  
The town itself was setting into utter chaos. The Captain’s crew was busy raiding the high and upper-middle class citizens, breaking down doors, smashing windows, setting things on fire, and stealing any money they could get their hands on. They tore down the town, so that Robbie and Sportacus could make their way to the treasurer’s capitol. Once the two men reached the door, the Captain immediately kicked it down. The treasurer's guards hadn't been quick enough, and they stood in a panic when the two pirates came barging in.   
  
The Captain sneered, sauntering over to the men who were shielding the cowardly man. He pointed his sword towards the treasurer, "Your tyranny against the impoverished ends today!!" And with that, he ran to fight against his men, sword in hand. The guards went from utterly shocked, to readily determined. Two of them pulled out guns, the other three choosing to fight with their hands. Robbie was careful to dodge the oncoming bullets, one grazing his arm just before he sliced a gun out of one of the man’s hands. Sportacus swiftly jumped in the way of another oncoming bullet, protecting the Captain from getting shot at again by blocking the bullet with his sword before successfully stabbing the man in the chest.   
  
Sportacus stared at his sword, not quite believing what he had just done.   
  
The treasurer was trying to get away, and Robbie quickly took note of this while he was still fighting off the other guards. "Spo--Alex!!" The Captain called out his partner’s name, knowing he was more well known as Sportacus and didn't want to give it away.  
  
Sportacus nodded his head curtly, a rush of adrenaline suddenly shooting through him as he flipped backwards and over the treasurer with a grin. The rotund nobleman looked up at this new pirate in fear, shocked by the feat of acrobatics he'd just performed. He withdrew his sword, pointing it straight at the man's skull with a grin.  
  
This felt…amazing, actually. "Where do you think you're going?"  
  
The treasurer weeped in frustration, and fairly soon, Robbie had taken out his guards. The Captain left the fight with a few more bruises than he would’ve liked, but he would manage. He walked over to where Sportacus had the treasurer cornered, a sneer set into his features. "Your days end here, tyrant." He spit in the man’s face before shoving his sword straight into his heart, leaving him slumped on the floor. This building was a bloody mess now, and Robbie nonchalantly shook off some of the red body fluid off his boot.   
  
Sportacus' expression twisted into something...strange.  
  
It wasn't fear, or disgust from having just assisted in the murder of another man. He looked…excited. They defeated him! And the money was now theirs for the taking! "Get the gold!"  
  
Robbie smiled excitedly at Sportacus, running through the building. The stash of gold and riches was on the upper level. "Grab all you can carry! If there's anything left, my men will grab it!" The Captain hefted up some bags of gold, running back to the ship with their winnings.  
  
Sportacus could grab twice as many sacks as the average man, and so through three over each shoulder. "Careful not to rupture your scars, Princess!" he joked as he ran ahead of him.  
  
"Shut the fuck up!!" Robbie laughed, though, and ran after Sportacus. Their mission was a complete success, and they'd stolen a bountiful amount of riches. When the rest of the crew made it back to the ship, the Captain congratulated everyone, before taking them to the smaller islands. There, they gave money to the impoverished communities, and in turn, they were given food which they took back to their ship to use for their celebratory feast.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew celebrates their successful heist, and the Captain and Sportacus have their first intimate experience in bed together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING! This chapter contains a dom/sub dynamic between Robbie and Sportacus, powerplay, painplay, S&M, and consensual sexual violence. This is the only chapter with smut.  
> If you would like to skip over the smut, stop reading after the two dance together, when Robbie takes Sportacus to their chambers. The rest of the chapter after that is strictly NSFW. 
> 
> Thank you again for the kind words and kudos!

The night after the successful raid, a party was held, the likes of which the crew had never seen. The upper deck was cleaned and polished, with lanterns and garnishes splayed all across the table and around their abundant feast. Some members were playing music with instruments they'd either stolen or whittled themselves, and there was a group of people actually dancing around in celebration. Former servants and crew members alike were drunkenly dancing with one another, laughing their cares away. Stephanie was playing patty-cake with Ella, feeling pleasant but a little confused. She wasn't sure what they were celebrating, but she was glad to see that Sportacus was back from wherever he was. She'd ask him later.  
  
Sportacus was currently sitting on top of their collective pile of treasure with the Captain, having a pint and singing along to the dumb songs the crew members sang. And Robbie was having the time of his life. Never before had they had a success as great as this, and only a _few_ nobles had to die! After singing for some time, he paused. Making sure most of his crew was sober enough to process thoughts, he stood up on the pile of treasure, whistling loudly to get everyone's attention.  
  
"My crew! I have known you for so long that I have come to think of you as my family. There is something important I must tell you all."  
  
Sportacus had nearly forgotten about the announcement he was going to make until Robbie stood up. He was just barely tipsy, which was good. He wanted to remember this night, or to fight any members that decided to disagree. The crew silenced themselves, looking to their Captain with curiosity.  
  
Robbie took in a deep breath, "I...like men. I have never liked women. And not just in a sexual way. I..." He glanced at Sportacus, "I've fallen in love with a man. And I hope you all can accept that." There was a long silence in the room, before a couple crew members spoke up, "If it helps...we've been in a secret relationship this whole time." Another crew member raised his hand, "I... don't actually feel like I'm a man at all. I think I'm a woman." To Robbie's surprise, a lot of his crew turned out to be queer as hell, maybe 1/3 of his crew was actually straight. He stood there in awe as his crew members came to tackle him, reassuring him that they all still admired him.  
  
Sportacus spat out a bit of his drink. He hadn't expected Robbie to tell them about what they had going on (whatever that was), but as soon as the crew began to laugh and pass noogies around, he felt relief. This was amazing! Everyone was so accepting, until his eyes caught the gaze of the servants. It's not that they looked disgusted or upset, they just looked… disappointed. Disappointed in the fact that he'd been in a secret relationship with the man who burnt down their town...and didn't tell them. He licked his lips in thought before opting to ignore that crowd, much preferring the accompaniment of the pirates at the moment.  
  
After the pirate crew had settled down, they went back to drinking, all in full admiration of their Captain. Some whispered about how they'd known, since the Captain had been so enamored with Sportacus. Robbie laughed and rubbed his back, the roughhousing was a little hard on him. He took another sip of his rum and turned to Sportacus, "I'm...so glad.”  
  
"You're real lucky, you know that?" He rubbed Robbie's back a little as his butt sunk farther into the gold, "Like...really lucky. Any other ship would have tossed you. Guess strange people pick up even stranger ones," he rubbed his hair, "And I mean that in the nicest of ways."  
  
Robbie chuckled, tears forming in his eyes which he tried to blink away. "I guess you're right about that... I'm...extremely lucky." He rubbed at his eyes and smiled at Sportacus. "Thank you."  
  
Sportacus gave the man one last rub on his back before he stood up. "Come on!" He placed a hand out in front of him to grab the other’s hand, "Do I have to ask you to dance with me?"  
  
The Captain blushed slightly, before accepting the hand offered to him, standing up and following Sportacus off the gold pile onto the floor.  
  
Barrages of coins came gliding down with them as they slid through the pile and across the wood. Sportacus giggled wildly, feeling very pirate-like indeed as he swept the Captain off his feet and stole his hat from him. "If you can't impress me with this dance, then I get to be in charge!"  
  
"Well, I say good luck to you, 'Captain.'" Robbie quickly kissed Sportacus' lips before dancing with him, "I think myself to be quite the dancer, so try to keep up with me, hm?" He quirked his eyebrow and gave his partner a wink.  
  
"Oh yeah?" He laughed under the enormous hat and took a bow, "I won third place at the Queen's Recital!" He jumped up to click his heels in the air with a grin.  
  
"What are you? Some kind of elf?" Robbie laughed and took a bow as well, taking Sportacus' hand and swinging about with him. All the other pirates were skipping about while dancing, linking arms with one another.  
  
"Pfft, you already told me mermaids exist, now you're telling me you believe in elves too?" He twisted to the left and linked both their arms together behind their backs. He kept Robbie there for a moment before flinging the man over his own back and having him land facing forward.  
  
Robbie chuckled and hopped around to face Sportacus, grabbing both his hands, "Well damn, I can't do anything like that." He gave Sportacus a playful shove, "You've got such meaty arms. I could never catch up."  
  
"Oh," Sportacus smirked coyly, spun the other about until he was sufficiently dizzy, and dipped him, "Well, it looks like I'm the Captain then."  
  
Robbie wrapped a long leg around Sportacus' back, and held their faces close, "Maybe just for the night. You can be 'Captain,'" his voice was more hushed at the end of his sentence and he brought the other’s face forward, kissing him.  
  
The hat on Sportacus’ head drooped down a bit over his eyes as he heard this, and goosebumps formed prominently on the back of his neck. He rather liked the way he’d said that...What was he implying? Sportacus kissed him back, feeling a lot more confident knowing that he could do it in public. The crew around them laughed and teased at their public displays of affection.  
  
"Oh, dear me! Look at the time!" Robbie shouted dramatically, pushing himself and Sportacus back into a standing position, "I suppose I should be off to bed! Carry on with your festivities, mates!" His crew members knew exactly where this was going, and no one was surprised when the Captain dragged the shorter man off to their quarters, pulling him into bed and snatching him back for more kisses.

\--NSFW begins here--  
  
Sportacus, on the other hand, had not been expecting this. His hat had fallen off on the way, leaving his hair messy and curly as he both received and gave kisses to the lanky and eager man. "Robbie, what's gotten-" he chuckled bemusedly between each smooch, "Into you?"  
  
Robbie ran his fingers through Sportacus' golden hair, continuing to give him endless kisses, "I need you to...I want you to..." he pulled back, biting his lip, "...fuck me. Captain.." he said in a desperate, yet soothing tone.  
  
A cold shiver traveled down Sportacus' neck, all the way down his body. That's never been a request he'd received before. At least not from such a...lecherous man. The way Robbie asked for it was absolutely erotic. Instincts took over, and with a lick of his own lips, he ran his hand roughly down Robbie'a cheek, "You do? Well, do you think you deserve it?"  
  
"No, but you want to do it anyways," Robbie looked absolutely predatory right now, running his hands down Sportacus' back, "Punish me, Captain. Destroy me."  
  
This was all new to Sportacus, and a small part of him felt timid, like he wanted to back out of it in fear of doing something wrong, or actually hurting his partner. In reality he was so unlike this...But those words, the thrill of today's kill and heist, it all started to well up inside him...  
  
He'd be the nastiest pirate this ship had ever seen. "Well then," the hand around Robbie's face tightened until he was fiercely clutching his jaw,  "Piss me off, then, huh? Earn it, bitch."  
  
Robbie fisted his hand in Sportacus' hair, pulling hard off the scalp as he brought his leg up to knee the other man in his stomach. He grabbed his mouth in a kiss again, biting his lip harshly.  
  
Sportacus nearly shouted at the consensual assault, but was quickly shut up by Robbie's lips, his tongue...his fucking hard teeth. He WAS a little bitch, wasn't he? With no shyness about it...He was literally asking for it. Sportacus pulled his lip away, noticing the taste of blood on his gums as he did so. "You think thats good enough?" he growled at him as his left hand pulled him upwards by the hair, the other slammed the man’s body to the headboard of the bed. Ooooh, he really hoped that hadn't messed up the stitching over the scar.  
  
Robbie hissed, and for a moment he almost seemed really hurt, but he was undeterred, quickly pushing himself forward again. Except instead of immediately assaulting Sportacus, he quickly but carefully pulled the clothes off the other man. "I can't properly maim you if I have to worry about your clothes," he growled, shoving the clothes onto the floor. He stared at Sportacus as he undressed himself quickly, "Shit. You're hot," was all he said before pushing Sportacus down and digging at his sides with long nails.  
  
" _FuAH!_ " Sportacus arched forward, instinctively trying to avoid the pain that was being inflicted upon his skin. After a few moments the searing sting faded into a cold, wet gash. He'd drawn blood, that was obvious. Robbie really wasn't fooling around. "I thought I was the captain..." he barked back at him with a lecherous glare, "Know. Your. Place!" And with that last syllable, Sportacus funneled all his energy into giving Robbie a huge slap in the face.  
  
Robbie grunted, but it was becoming increasingly obvious that this was turning him on. He still had his undergarments on, but his growing erection was hard to miss. "Fucking...fuck me up, Captain...punish me for defying you..." his body was open and ready, and he pulled Sportacus' face close to his harshly by the hair, snarling in his face.  
  
Sportacus felt like he was on autopilot. Every fantasy of his, every shameful thing he'd pushed away to the back of his mind were all coming together to become something entirely new for him. Ah, fuck, he was turned on too. Why did this feel so good? Sportacus forced the both of them to stand up, and without a word he shoved Robbie's head down to be level with his own starting erection, "You want it? Get me ready then."  
  
Robbie quickly complied, pulling off Sportacus' undergarments and pulling out the pulsing erection. He stroked the man's cock, squeezing it harshly before shoving the dick down his throat. He began moving his head back and forth, taking in all of the domineering man. And then he bit it.  
  
"Fuck!!" Sportacus pushed him off for a moment, and pulled his head back up to face him, eyes seething with what should have been anger, but was quite honestly arousal. "You're going to be like that? You think you can do that to me?" he shoved him back down, hands holding his hair like the ship's wheel and pressing him back down on his pulsing cock, "I guess I'll just have to choke you..." With that he made Robbie take in his cock, and without any warning, began to press the back of his head down to control the pace.  
  
Robbie sputtered, choking on Sportacus' cock for a moment before sucking him off at the other man's pace. He dragged his teeth over the other's dick, but did not bite down again, and his own erection was becoming quite uncomfortable.  
  
Sportacus noticed just how absolutely tight his partner's undergarments were, and he continued to fuck his mouth with a smirk. "Don't touch yourself," he demanded as his thrusting slowed down, "You wait for me."  
  
Robbie complied with a grunt, his face flush with arousal as his mouth was being fucked by his partner. He tasted so good, he wanted more. Noting that biting him had raised his arousal once, he did it again, biting down on the tip of Sportacus' erection.  
  
"Ugh, Robbie!" Sportacus popped him off with a disapproving glare and paused for a moment, his chest heaving as he wondered if he was able to do what he wanted to do. Without a single struggle, Sportacus actually lifted him off the ground and once again had him laying on the bed, this time pressing his face down into the sheets threateningly.  
  
Robbie grunted, his breathing stifled by being shoved into the bed. He balled his hands up in the sheets, his erection absolutely throbbing. He was getting off to all of this. His scar looked a little discolored from the hit he took earlier, but his mind was flooded with lust. He was more interested in what Sportacus was going to do to him.  
  
"You're being a terribly nasty boy today, Robbie..." He scolded the taller man with a quirked eyebrow, and pulled at his undergarments harshly, actually ripping at the fabric.  
  
Robbie groaned softly, "Only for you, my Captain.." He spread his legs, arching his ass in the air.  
  
Sportacus had honestly never done this before...at least not from this angle. Or hole. But it wasn't a difficult concept to grasp. He just really needed to fuck something, he couldn't help himself from grinding his hips into the air slightly as he positioned himself over the man and slipped off what was left of his undergarments.  
  
"What was that?" he shoved two fingers into the man's mouth and pulled at the side of his cheek, "I didn't quite hear it."  
  
Robbie let out a choking noise, and then a strangled moan as Sportacus shoved his fingers into his mouth. He attempted to speak around the fingers, "I-I'm nasty...for you… C-Captain..."  
  
"That's right," he popped the fingers out of his mouth, a trail of saliva following in it's wake, "Only for me." Sportacus took a deep breath before he began to run his fingers around the rim of Robbie's entrance, teasing and readying him for the real work.  
  
Robbie shivered, moaning softly and holding to the bed, "Fuck me hard, Captain....I want to feel your large, bulging cock in my ass..."  
  
Sportacus tried to maintain his cool, hard façade but it was REALLY difficult when Robbie was saying things like that. He positioned himself properly, wanting nothing more than to just ram himself in there without warning, but he needed to be teased just a bit further. Slowly, he dragged his length around that tight ring of muscle, pushing in just so slightly.  
  
Robbie tensed, but spread his legs more. He let out a shuddering breath, readying himself, "I want to feel you so badly...I want you inside me...I need you..."  
  
He wanted to keep insulting him, to call him pathetic and dirty and awful...but right now Sportacus was thinking the same thing. He pushed himself in slowly, digging his nails into Robbie's scalp as he did so. Ah, he was so tight. He hoped he wasn't _actually_ hurting him that badly.  
  
Robbie sucked in a breath, body shaking slightly as Sportacus entered him. It felt so…god, it hurt so bad, but it felt so good. He let out a hoarse moan, clutching to his pillow.  
  
"God...oh my god," Sportacus groaned at how great this was feeling on his end as his thrusting began to pick up speed. Every time he pulled back, he was groaning with pleasure, and when he moved in, it felt twice as good. It was so much tighter than any woman could ever be...and so much hotter. Nobody would ever do this with him. Ever...but now he— Sportacus was losing control of his rational thoughts, nothing but pure animalistic hunger driving him forward now.  
  
Robbie was living in pure ecstasy. Sportacus felt so amazing moving inside him...he breathed heavily and moved his hips in rhythm with the other man. This was better than he'd ever imagined...the man of his dreams was here and real and INSIDE HIM... he was losing himself and he moaned lowly, "Y-you're so...good... _aaAhhh_..."  
  
Sportacus could barely hear him over the heartbeat in his eardrums, and he moved himself slightly to the side to make the motion faster and cleaner. Well, as clean as a dry pirate fuck could get. "Say my name," he instructed him as he felt a rushing tightening of his lower abdomen, "Say my name and I'll make you cum."  
  
"Sporta...Sportacus..." Robbie moaned, "Sportacus... I love you... Sportacus..." he wiggled his hips a little, heart hammering in his chest and heat building up in his cock.  
  
"Yeah, yeah Robbie?" he pounded into him faster, nearly crying from how intense this feeling was, "You like that? You gonna cum? Are y-you gonna...gonna-" Oh god. Sportacus shouted as he erupted from orgasm sooner than he thought he would. He pulled out, groaning and gasping from the sensation.  
  
Once Sportacus came inside him, Robbie lost it and came on the bed beneath him. He breathed heavily, slumping against the sheets as his chest rose and fell. He felt...amazing.  
  
Sportacus, while he was usually quite fit and used to having high stamina, was most definitely feeling the aftershock of all the hard work he'd put into their lovemaking. He rolled over with a strangled gasp and slammed own his body against the sheets in exhausted bliss, "I think..." he wiped some saliva from his own mouth, "I'm finished being Captain for the day."  
  
Robbie chuckled into the pillow before turning his head and gazing at Sportacus fondly. "Well...I have to say," his breathing calmed a little, “…you make a fantastic Captain." He ran a hand over Sportacus' arm, stroking the muscled skin softly.  
  
"I-I don't really know what came over me," he admitted with a nervous chuckle, "I think I just let out all my anger at the world in one go..."  
  
"Well I gotta tell you. It felt amazing." Robbie leaned up and kissed Sportacus' forehead. "I'm gonna feel that tomorrow and it's going to be great."  
  
"Oh, I'm gonna feel a lot of something," he blushed deeply at his own actions and kissed the other back before producing a huge sigh, "You've really ruined my perfect sleep schedule, you know."  
  
"You can't predict sleep when you're on the seas," Robbie chuckled. "Lord knows I barely sleep. But that's my own problem."  
  
Sportacus yawned again, practically melting into the sheets before he turned to face him, "Are you okay? I said some...mean things."  
  
Robbie laughed, "You would be worried about that..." He ran his hand through Sportacus' hair, "Those 'mean things' got me hard. I'm a _nasty_ pirate, after all." He wrapped his arm around the other's middle.

He guessed he understood that. Robbie was a special case. He always knew he liked things weird. No, what scared Sportacus was how much he'd enjoyed doing that to him...The thought lingered in the back of his mind while he gave him one more kiss, "You are but...I love you."  
  
Robbie kissed Sportacus back, reaching over to turn off the dim lantern, "I really love you too, Sportacus."  
  
"Had to one up me with the 'really' there, didn't you?" he chortled as he moved to pull the covers over the both of them. Sportacus really didn't care about getting cleaned up right now, he just wanted some good sleep.  
  
"Well of course I did. You expected any less?" Robbie laughed and cuddled up against the other under the covers. "Goodnight, Sporty."  
  
"Goodnight, Robbie..." he gave the Captain one last smooch on the head before drifting off to sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sportacus has a talk with Stephanie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sportabuddy, you need to get your life together. 
> 
> Thank you again for the kudos everyone!

A couple more months have passed by now. The crew has raided a few towns, killed a few more corrupt leaders, and their treasure load began growing as well as the relationship between the Captain and Sportacus. The crew was almost seeing the former noble as a second captain, someone they could trust and admire. As for Robbie, the once sickly, fragile man, had begun to fill out. He ate more, and participated in crew activities and lead missions, earning him a great deal of muscle definition. He seemed to actually fit in his clothes once again, instead of just using them to make himself look bigger.  
  
And Sportacus, he woke every morning excited for a new adventure, sore from their nightly romps but energized by the thrill of whatever lay ahead of him. He was getting used to living the pirate's life for sure. The once rigid, rule-following man was becoming lax and, well, lazy. He'd sleep when he wanted, drink when he wanted, and expend all his energy on missions, raiding, and sex. The last thing on his mind was what his officials would think of him now, or how he could, and would, be hanged for treason, or if what he was doing was even morally okay.

No time for that when you had a ship to take care of!   
  
At the moment he was spending time trying to repair some water-logged rails on the ship's helm, sanding them down and wrenching any rotten pieces off with his bare hands, and tossing them into the ocean.  
  
"You're sure working hard, huh, Sporty?" Robbie walked up to the helm, lounging close to Sportacus with two bottles of rum in hand. He set one of the bottles down for the other, taking a swig of his own. He was hoping that Sportacus felt as at home here on the ship as he did. He really… didn’t want him to ever leave.  
  
Sportacus wiped the sweat from his brow and accepted the bottle with gratitude before ripping another piece off the ship. "Yeah, the crew was afraid the side would collapse if anyone were to lean on it, so I'm just going to redo the whole thing," with a great grin he tossed the dirty piece of wood far into the ocean, chuckling as it plopped onto the surface of the water.  
  
Robbie rubbed his stubbly chin, watching Sportacus work. "That's definitely a good idea...we could probably get some sturdier wood to work with at our next stop." He leaned on his knees, taking another drink. "It's a place we can relax, so I plan for us to be there for a few days before we set sail again. The residents know my crew, so it's not going to be a problem."  
  
"Is that right?" Sportacus took a swig of his rum and sat down to take a bit of a break, "What's the name of this fantastical place?"  
  
"The Radiant Islands," Robbie waved his hands in the air to add a bit of flair, "It sounds nice. And it is. But pirates and pirate families live there. You're not allowed to start fights there or you get booted from the islands forever." He leaned on one arm. "It's far from many other inhabited lands to keep it secret. We've been there just maybe a couple times before.”  
  
"I've never heard of such a place," Sportacus said a bit skeptically, "I studied cartography my whole life and you're meaning to tell me that a place called the 'Radiant Islands' has remained uncharted to this day?"  
  
Robbie winked, "That's exactly correct. They've kept hidden for decades... centuries! It's a paradise for all pirates, as long as no one causes trouble. And there's not much of a government there, there's more of a council, and they're some of the scariest people you'll ever meet if you piss them off."  
  
"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Sportacus stood up from his sitting position with a swing of his legs, "Let's steer this boat towards parts unknown!" He hurriedly rushed up the stairs to reach the wheel, "Well, parts unknown to me."  
  
With a chuckle, the Captain stood up as well, heading to the wheel behind Sportacus, commanding everyone's attention. "Avast, my crew! I do believe it's time we leave for the Radiant Islands! Prepare to set sail!" And with that, the crew got into position, preparing their ship to leave. And then they were off, heading northeast to their new destination.  
  
Sportacus was behind his partner at the wheel, basically backseat driving and controlling the Captain's hands occasionally when he felt like giving him a hard time. The sky was cloudy, but light...a sure sign that rainfall would be present the next day, but they were lucky enough to have missed it while at sea. As they sailed on, the crew and servants were hard at work looking out for enemy ships, but it looked like smooth sailing from here.  
  
Robbie would scold the other for giving him a hard time, but he was enjoying the back and forth banter between them. It felt right. This felt right. One thing sat uneasy with the pirate captain, however, and concern shone on his face. “Hey, Sportacus. How's...Stephanie handling all of this? I only know what I hear from Ella...and sometimes they're not exactly...good."  
  
"Huh?" Sportacus was still smiling largely, his expression looking as though he hadn't heard him correctly, "Oh, yeah. Yeah, she's doing great!" he scoffed and nodded like the answer was obvious. Why wouldn't she be? She was a happy little kid. Granted, he hadn't spoken to her for a while, and when they did, it was just in small increments, but she had Ella! She had to have been having the time of her life.  
  
Robbie was silent for a long moment, just staring out to the sea as he steered. "You've changed a lot, Sportacus, and…Stephanie is very aware of that. I talked to Ella last night, and Stephanie said she feels like she's lost another piece of her family. You need to..." he gripped the wheel tightly. "You need to speak to her, Sportacus. I'm glad you want to be with me and do what I do, I never thought we would be...in a relationship like this. But you're a very important person in Stephanie's life. You're to Stephanie as I am to Ella. Even if you're not related by blood."  
  
"W-what?" He awkwardly backed off of Robbie on the wheel, "I haven't changed!" At least he didn't think he did. He was still good, old, fun-loving Sportacus! Just with longer hair, and some stubble, and...ransacking towns, and assisting in murder, and having nightly rounds of hardcore sex, and—  
  
"AU-uh, maybe I'll find some time to talk when we're on the islands...."  
  
"That 'maybe' needs to be a 'definitely.' If you weren't aware, I still feel guilty about what I did to LazyTown. There's probably people there still holding onto the hope that you'll come back, along with the prisoners." Robbie chuckled sadly, "You don't belong here, Sportacus. You never did."  
  
Sportacus didn't like what he was hearing, and it was visible on his face.

Of course deep down he knew that he'd eventually have to go back to Lazy Town, but for now, Sportacus was fine living in his pirate fantasy. Robbie had been the one to suck him into it! And now the same man was trying to push him away. He was being intensely superficial right now, but he would never be able to tell.  
  
"I'll go talk to her..." the man grimaced before hopping over the ledge to search for Stephanie below deck. What had just transpired pained Robbie's heart, but for now, he tightened his grip on the wheel, keeping his eyes on the sea.  
  
Below deck, Ella and the other children were playing hopscotch. She looked up when she heard someone coming down, "Hi Sportacus!!"  
  
"Hi, kids," he greeted them with with enthusiasm, but with noticeably less energy than he normally would have when addressing them, "Is Stephanie here?" He looked around the group in search of the little pink girl.  
  
Ella's smile faltered, "She's coloring by herself in her bed. I can take you to her." She brought her smile back, taking Sportacus' hand and bringing him to the collective bedroom. "Stephanie?"  
  
Sportacus peaked his head in and removed his new pirate's hat before addressing the girl himself. Oh...wow, he really hadn't seen her much the past few weeks, had he? Her hair had grown out past her shoulders...Maybe he just hadn't noticed it.   
  
"Knock knock?" He said tentatively.  
  
Stephanie didn't look up, and there was a bit of a bite to her tone, "Yeah? Who's there?" She kept coloring as if Sportacus wasn't that important.  
  
Sportacus gave Ella a look that asked if she could leave them alone for a few minutes. Oh dear...Sportacus had really made a mistake, hadn't he? "Uhm, It's Santa Claus," he weakly joked as he headed a little farther into the room.  
  
Stephanie scoffed, scribbling at her paper frustratingly before looking up at Sportacus, a scowl on her face. She raised her eyebrow in response.  
  
"Okay, yeah. I'm sure you'd rather it be Santa Claus..." he rubbed at the back of his neck awkwardly, "May I sit down?"  
  
Stephanie seemed to think for a moment, before sighing and moving over on the bed, "Sure." She put her coloring supplies down, but didn't look at Sportacus.  
  
"So, uhm...we're heading to a really cool island soon," he finally got the courage to try looking her in the face, but she was staring off at something else, "We won't have to sleep in the boat for a few nights!"  
  
"Hm..well that's nice." She rubbed her hands together anxiously, continuing to not look at the man in front of her.  
  
Oh, geeze this was awful. Sportacus was really starting to feel the guilt now… Stephanie was perfect at making you realize how shitty you have been.  
  
"Look, Stephanie...I don't think I've been a very good friend to you lately..."  
  
"That's an understatement." She cast an accusatory glance at Sportacus. "Did you come here on your own, or did the Captain have to tell you to talk to me?"  
  
"Oh, w-well, I mean..." He glanced away like a kicked puppy, "He may have...suggested it."  
  
Stephanie looked away again, "It seems extremely ironic that the man who burned our home and stole us away cares more about me than you seem to."  
  
A hypothetical sword was just gored through Sportacus's chest as the conversation continued on, and he found his mouth going dry as he realized he wasn't on the moral high-ground in this situation.  
  
"Stephanie, I'm sorry..." he gulped, "I just got so carried away. I know I did. LazyTown was just...I guess I was bored. Nothing exciting ever seemed to happen. And then we're here on this ship and there's treasure and adventure and travel..." He scratched at his growing beard, "And I guess it's all been such a huge distraction from the more important treasure in my life."  
  
Stephanie glared at Sportacus, tears welling in her eyes, "I miss you, Sportacus. I miss home. You don't even look the same anymore..." She looked down, grabbing at her sheets. "A-and I don't understand why you...why do you love the Captain...?"  
  
"He's...I..." He bit the inside of his cheek, sweating nervously as he questioned his own moral code, "Have you ever had a friend that's done some bad things, but deep down you know they can be really good? Where the more you get to know them, you start realizing that they don't do bad things just for the sake of being bad?"  
  
He wasn't sure if she would understand or...if HE even understood.  
  
Stephanie frowned thoughtfully, "I guess I kind of understand, but..." she looked back at Sportacus, "h-he killed people. My uncle is gone. I don't even know if my friends are alive..." she started crying now.  
  
"Stephanie, I'm sorry this is..." he moved forward to hug her, but he wasn't sure if she'd appreciate that right now. "Robbie didn't mean to...Well, he did but…" Sportacus couldn't find a way to explain this without compromising morals that he'd previously taught Stephanie.   
  
Why HAD he fallen in love with Robbie?  
  
He was...funny, and mysterious, cunning. And complicated. Sometimes he did some bad things, but it was always for the right reason.  
  
And he wanted to help him! But right now someone else needed helping.   
  
"Stephanie, I'm going to make it up to you. I swear it. I promise. No matter what it takes."  
  
Stephanie sniffed and lunged at Sportacus, hugging onto him tightly. "Please spend more time with me, Sportacus. I miss you so much."  
  
"I promise," he nodded and pat her hair with his splintered hands, "I absolutely promise, Stephanie.” He'd do much more than that. There was only one way he knew he could truly make it up to her.  
  
And he'd have to discuss that with Robbie later.  
  
Stephanie clung to Sportacus, "....well...I may despise the Captain...but I'm glad he wanted you to come talk to me. That was..." she made a disgusted face, “…nice. Of him."  
  
“He can be…sometimes,” he chuckled just teeny bit and pulled her away to get a better look at her face, "I don't think I could stand him if he was terrible ALL the time."  
  
Stephanie rubbed her eyes and looked at Sportacus, "I suppose you wouldn't...I guess there's gotta be SOMETHING to like about him..." she looked towards the floor, "He makes really comfortable dresses..."  
  
"I'm not asking you to like him, Stephanie," he gave her one last pet on the head, "But he does like you. He was worried about you. Really was."  
  
Stephanie looked down and fiddled with the sheets, "Well...I guess I am his niece’s best friend...and she's really nice." She blushed at that.  
  
"Yeah?" he chuckled a bit and made sure the other girl wasn't in ear shot for Stephanie's sake, "She thinks you're really nice too."  
  
Stephanie blushed more, "She's really fun to play with...and she’s…really pretty."  
  
"Prettier than her uncle, that's for sure," Sportacus joked kindheartedly, "I'm grateful she was your friend while I was being such an as-" He caught himself in a swear. Damn pirates! His whole vocabulary had been switched around, "a butthead."  
  
Stephanie giggled, "Its not like the Captain doesn't say 'fuck' all the time, Sportacus." She grinned mischievously at him.  
  
"Stephanie!" he gave a scandalized gasp, honestly surprised to hear that word come from her mouth. He couldn't chastise her though. How hypocritical would that be? "Well, I guess it cannot be avoided...I don't suppose you'll be offending anyone. But please, keep it on the ship."  
  
Stephanie laughed and gave Sportacus' arm a playful punch, "Alright, alright. If I have to." She hugged Sportacus' arm. "Do you want to play with everyone? We've all kind of missed you."  
  
"Of course!" he answered quickly and actually rubbed at his arm. Dang, she was getting strong! "I think the others were playing hopscotch outside?"  
  
"That sounds like fun!" Stephanie hopped off the bed, grabbing Sportacus' hand and dragging him out. The children were really excited to see him, and the adults were surprised but happy to see him again as well.  
  
"Hey everyone..." he waved to the adults a bit awkwardly as the kids dragged him to the middle for a game of hopscotch, "I'd love to chat, but important games must be played!"  
  
The kids laughed and played with Sportacus, and sometimes they hounded him with questions about the Captain, or if they would ever go home again. After a few hours, Robbie descended the steps into the lower deck, watching all of them playing. He smiled at the wonderful sight, glad the mood had shifted. "Everyone! We've arrived at Radiant Island’s main port! It's dark already, so the residents will be providing us with a place to sleep and a meal."  
  
Wow, had they been playing that long already? Sportacus hadn't even broke a sweat. He had forgotten how much fun he had playing with the kids!   
  
"Come on, who gets the privilege?" Sportacus bent backward to offer one of the smaller children a ride on his back. One of the smallest children hopped on his back, and everyone ascended the stairs after the Captain. Ella held Robbie's hand and chatted happily with him, and as a group, the whole crew arrived on the main island to thankfully relax for a few days.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew gets to relax on Radiant Island and Sportacus and Robbie talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, an actual chapter filled with fluffy Sportarobbie and island fun. It couldn't go wrong, right?

The crew departed the ship and grouped together on the shore of Radiant Island’s main port. Two island representatives, who seemed like very laid-back pirates, took the group into guest houses. The owners of the homes provided them with a large meal, for everyone to take part in. The island itself looked like a place out of a fairy tale. The beach was oddly clean despite how many boats were tied to shore, and the palm trees were full and fortuitous. Was this even real?  
  
Sportacus wondered why pirates didn't just make this place their permanent residency. Well, okay, he knew. A pirate could never settle down. The sea was in their blood, it was their first love above all else. Robbie had told this to him hundreds of times before, always with the shiniest eyes and biggest smile.  
  
The crew finished their meals and were led to an open area on the beach to either relax or go to sleep. Sportacus had taken some time to speak with Stephanie before she ran off to play alone with Ella somewhere, and was now walking along the shores near the jungle area of the mainland. Robbie looked so calm and serene. He was afraid to bring up what had been on his mind.  
  
The Captain was laid back on the sand, watching the stars above. It was his favorite sight, and he could name all the constellations by heart. The night sky was so calming...and then he heard footsteps coming closer. Turning his head towards the noise, he smiled softly when he saw it was Sportacus. "Well hey there. Have fun with the kids?"  
  
"Yeah," he chuckled breathily and rubbed some sand out of his hair, "I think they've been holding in all their energy until today! They should get out more." He plopped down beside the Captain on the sand.  
  
Robbie nodded, "That would do them some good, I guess." He looked back up at the stars, "The sky is so clear tonight. You can see all the stars..."  
  
"Yeah," Sportacus tilted his head up to get a better view of his favorite constellation, "Nothing like how they look on the ocean. There's no time to just lay on the deck like this."  
  
"Yeah..." Robbie sighed wistfully, "So...by the expression on your face. You want to talk about something."  
  
"Was I making a face?" Sportacus drew his knees up to his chest and held them there for a moment, looking thoughtful. "So I spoke to Stephanie today..."  
  
Robbie folded his hands over his stomach, full attention on the other man now. "Yeah? How did that go?"  
  
"She's not doing so well," he admitted with a guilty frown before looking back at the captain. "Robbie, I think..." his stomach churned like the waves on the sea, "I think...I think I need to go back to LazyTown."  
  
The Captain's throat tightened, pressing his hands together. He looked back up at the sky, "O-oh yeah? Well...I guess... that was in the original plan..."  
  
Sportacus found himself having a hard time getting his words out. "And I think...we should go back as soon as possible."  
  
Robbie sucked in a breath. He felt like throwing up. "O-oh...um. Of course..." His hands were shaking. "Glad you've...c-come to your senses, I guess. You belong in LazyTown."  
  
"Yeah," he too felt as though he'd vomit as he could just barely look Robbie in the eyes, "More importantly, Stephanie does. And I have to be there for her."  
  
Robbie’s lips formed a thin line, "Yes, I know...we'll stay here and relax for a couple days..and then we'll set sail for LazyTown. We...we've gathered enough treasure to pay back most of what was lost, I think.”  
  
Sportacus felt so very pained. He never wanted to leave his lover, but he had to do this. For Stephanie. He rolled over to hold the man's cheek in his hand, "Thank you, Robbie." He leaned over him to give him a very soft, sincere kiss before pulling back, "It's...it's for the best."  
  
Tears were forming in Robbie's eyes, and he pushed away from Sportacus, running a hand down his face as he sat up, "I know...I know it is...  
  
"Robbie, please don't..." he tried holding back his own stinging tears, "You could visit! I-in secret. Dock the boat and paddle over to the mainland? I-I could hide you! Y-you could visit every...few years!" He was reaching, both physically and verbally for his love.  
  
"It's not going to be that easy, Sportacus, and you know that." He shook his head, and the tears started falling, "Fuck...fuck.." He rubbed hard at his tears, "I should've never…I—I shouldn't have pillaged LazyTown...I shouldn't have captured you...I shouldn't have let myself fall for you...I shouldn't have told you about my feelings...this shouldn't be happening right now.”  
  
Sportacus reached forward again to hold onto Robbie’s shoulders tightly, "No. No, please don't say that. I couldn't be happier to have known you! I w-wish it had been under some more favorable circumstances but..." his face was completely wet with tears, "Robbie, I loved you. And will always love you. Being apart isn't going to change that."  
  
"Y-you're a dumbass for loving someone like me..." the Captain choked out a sob, "What kind of person falls in love with someone who destroys their town?" He lunged forward to wrap his arms tightly around Sportacus, "You're so…stupid..." he cried into Sportacus' shoulder, gripping tight to his shirt.  
  
"I know," Sportacus held Robbie tighter than he ever had in his life, fingers slipped underneath his hair and at the base of his head, "I-I'm the biggest moron I have ever seen. But you love me," he laid his cheek against his black hair, "So you're an idiot too."  
  
Robbie huffed out a laugh, tears still rolling down his face, "Yeah, well I knew that much." He kissed Sportacus' cheek, and then his lips, rubbing his fingers up the back of his head.  
  
Sportacus kissed him back deeply before pulling away to make a suggestion. "Let's please try to make these next few days here count. We have weeks worth of sailing to be sad, but I just want to be here on this island with you. Like we're happy."  
  
Robbie nodded slowly, gripping Sportacus' arms, "This is going to be the best god damn vacation we'll ever have."  
  
"You know it!" With tears still in his eyes, Sportacus wrestled the other to the ground, kicking sand everywhere and cackling.  
  
Robbie laughed, and pulled Sportacus down on his chest. Tears still dripped down his cheeks as he held his lover's face in his hands, grinning wildly up at him.  
  
"You're so beautiful when you smile," Sportacus nuzzled his forehead with his own and scratched behind his ear, "Prettier than the ocean. The stars. Even a mermaid, I bet."  
  
"That is absolutely corny. You're definitely back to your usual self," Robbie laughed, but he was blushing to the tips of his ears. He ran his fingers through Sportacus' hair, a small smile on his face. "I have to say, you're the most beautiful person I've ever encountered in my life."  
  
"Oh, that's a lie," Sportacus scoffed and wrestled him around a little bit more, "Your crew is flawless!" It was meant to be a joke. Most of the crew was...pretty in need of some hygiene tips, but he loved them all the same.  
  
Robbie laughed loudly, "Hell, I love my crew, but none of them compare to you. You're stunning," he leaned up to connect their mouths in a kiss, grabbing his sides and flipping him over, so that he was on top now.  
  
Sportacus giggled mischievously underneath the taller man, legs kicking around from a strange joy. It was like a high you felt right before a storm.  
  
Robbie chuckled and kissed all over Sportacus' face, holding him now by the hips. "I say we get a good rest tonight, and have the most fun we've ever had these next couple of days. Sound good to you?" He kissed Sportacus' face one more time.  
  
Sportacus cried a little more, but not all too sadly when his face was kissed. "Please." He sat up with the other on his lap, playing with his dark hair and snuggling his face into his chest, "I want to sleep."  
  
Robbie kissed Sportacus' head multiple times, before standing up, offering his hand to the other. "There's a fantastically plush bed waiting for us. Hell, I might even sleep all night on something like that," he huffed out a laugh.  
  
"Now that would take a miracle," Sportacus reached for his hand, but then playfully pushed him back down to the ground before he began running in the direction of their cabin, "And so would you beating me to it!!"  
  
"Hey! You dirty, cheating pirate!" Robbie cackled and got up, running after Sportacus in a failed attempt to beat him to the bed. Once in the bedroom, he flopped down on the plush mattress, pulling off his clothes before wiggling underneath the sheets.  
  
Sportacus was already laying down, totally naked under the sheets with a smug smile on his face. "What was that about a dirty, cheating pirate I heard?"  
  
"You're a dirty. Cheating. Pirate." Robbie poked Sportacus' chest to emphasize his words while smirking. "Well maybe now you're a reformed pirate. But you still cheated." He chuckled and ruffled Sportacus' hair.  
  
"I learned from the best," Sportacus teased and slid his head lower into his body like a turtle, "The dirtiest pirate to ever sail the seven seas."  
  
Robbie burst out laughing, shoving his hand against Sportacus' face, "You stop that! And of course I'm the best!"  
  
"Stop what?" He slid his head even lower and licked Robbie's hand to get it off him.  
  
Robbie pulled his hand back as if he'd touched a burning stove, cackling, "Whyyyyyyy!!" he tackled Sportacus, nipping his nose and pulling playfully at his mustache.  
  
"Because I can do as I please!" He nipped back at him with a cackle, acting ever so like a child.  
  
"Oh yeah?" Robbie smirked, cocking an eyebrow. "Two can play that game." He reached around and grabbed Sportacus by the ass, "I can also do as I please."  
  
Sportacus made a stupid sound, as the sneak attack grab both surprised and tickled him. "What?" he feigned offense, bringing a hand up to his chest like a scandalized woman, "Well, I never!"  
  
"Did I offend you?" Robbie teased, now fondling Sportacus' ass. "An arse this nice should be praised, in my opinion. I'm doing you a good service," he snickered and lifted the other's legs over his shoulders. "How would you like that? Would you like me to tell you everything I love about you? Because I will," he kissed Sportacus' leg.  
  
Sportacus continued to giggle, his face heating up as Robbie pulled him closer. No matter what they did, no matter how deeply sexual they could get, Robbie always managed to get Sportacus to blush. "I-I mean...if you can think of anything."  
  
Robbie rubbed his face against Sportacus' leg, "I can think of many things. Where should I begin?" He stroked Sportacus' leg in thought, "Well. I love your strong legs. I love how you can just flip everywhere without a care, you don't even break a sweat." Then he placed a chaste kiss to Sportacus' right leg. "I love your ass," he gave it a squeeze, "it's so tight and muscular, it looks great in anything.”  
  
He ran his hand up the other's abdomen, "I love all your...glorious abs. Your body is formed like a Greek sculpture, it's perfect in every way. I get shivers whenever you're shirtless." He moved his hands over Sportacus' pecs, over to his shoulders, "I love your arms. They've carried me many times, over your shoulder, bridal style...they make me feel safe." He continued to kiss Sportacus' body as he praised him, "I love your hands. They're the vessels you use to love my body, running them through my hair, holding my hands, shoved in my mouth," he chuckled at that, kissing Sportacus' palm. "I love your neck, it's fantastic for leaving all kinds of marks on," he nipped at his neck then, "And I love your chin. Your dumb mustache. Your ears. Your nose." He kissed every one. 

“And I love your eyes. They shine like the sun on the sea, they brighten up my life. Your eyes stare into my soul, they feel like home," then he placed a kiss onto Sportacus' forehead, "I love your brain. You're fantastic and you have an urge to learn. To do new things," he buried his face in the other's hair, "God, your hair is like the golden sand, warm and inviting. You've grown it so long and it's beautiful and I could never stop touching it," he ran his hands through the golden locks, leaving them there, "And then your lips. Your lovely lips." He kissed Sportacus multiple times. "Your kisses. Your soothing voice. Your thoughts...everything about you is important to me." He then proceeded to give multiple kisses to his lover's face.  
  
Tears began to form again at the corners of Sportacus' eyes, and he was so touched and surprised by the praise that he could barely focus on properly kissing the other back. Never in his life had anyone ever said something like that to him, and with such refined speech and sensuality.  
  
"Robbie Rotten..." he held his face gently, giving him the biggest puppy dog eyes, "You should be a poet, not a pirate. I don't know what to say?"  
  
Robbie chuckled, burying his fingers in Sportacus' hair, and shook his head. "You don't need to say anything, Sportacus. I just hope you know how much I love and admire you." He smiled and kissed Sportacus' lips once more.  
  
Sportacus was never really great with words, or even speaking for that matter, but he wanted Robbie to know how much _he_ loved him too. So to make up for it, he kissed him deeper, hugged him tighter, nuzzled against  him harder...He took his whole body into him and prayed to god that he could feel it all.  
  
Robbie wrapped his arms around Sportacus, holding him tight and kissing him back with intensity. He pulled back and breathed out, "You are...amazing," and buried his face into his neck.  
  
"Not as amazing as you..." he rubbed his nose against his, "We should go to sleep. I just want to hold you all night and wake up early tomorrow to spend my day with you."  
  
Robbie chuckled, kissing Sportacus' neck before pulling back, moving beside him but keeping an arm wrapped around his waist. "That sounds perfect."  
  
"Mmm," Sportacus yawned a bit and let himself relax, "I'll be here all night if you need me. Just in case you don't sleep,"  
  
"I know. I'll really try to sleep, though." He nestled against Sportacus. "Goodnight, Sporty."  
  
"Goodnight, Robbie..." He gave him one last kiss on the forehead before blowing out the single candle next to the bed.  
  
The following were nothing but sun, beach, and relaxation. The crew traded goods for new, sturdier wood to use for the ship. They ate the best food they've had in a long time, and drank only the best at the taverns around the island. Sportacus and Robbie spent every waking moment together, meaning Stephanie ended up hanging around Robbie at some point, and she had to say, it really wasn’t _that_ terrible. The crew was all laughter and joy, even the servants of the ship were enjoying themselves more than they had ever had in their lives. Everyone was able to forget their troubles. The night before they had to leave for LazyTown, all the inhabitants of the ship were gathered together, singing off tune and dancing together, and no one had reason to be upset. It was the best couple days that anyone could've said they had, and that attitude even carried over into the next day, when they left Radiant Island behind them, on their journey back home.  
  
———————  
  
Sportacus was now manually steering the ship by pulling the ropes for the main sail. The water was angry today, more so than the crew had predicted, and the vessel required more than the wheel’s influence in order to stay their course. His stomach was in knots, and not because of the sea’s current attitude. No. Everything about their journey was anxiety-inducing. For one, he tried desperately not to think of leaving his love behind when they reached LazyTown, and in that same thought, he was afraid that there wouldn’t be much left to the town once they reached it! What had become of it since they’d last seen it? Would it be reduced to the size of a small village? Would the town be rebuilt, prosperous, and welcoming? Or maybe everyone was…Ah. He couldn’t think about that last one. He couldn’t bear the notion of bringing Stephanie back to a graveyard filled with the ones she loved dearly. No. He couldn’t think that way. Not with what was at stake. The clouds above looked down upon them menacingly, threatening to burst at any moment. It’s not like the crew had never sailed through a storm before, but something about the sky seemed off. It was green, and the sheet lightening that stung through the clouds seemed much closer to the horizon than they would have liked. It was as if God was battling something on earth, something no mortal was able to witness except for in the rumbles of thunder that echoed through the corridors of the ship.  
  
“Captain!” Sportacus shouted to the wheel as the rain began to trickle down on them, “Can you see the constellations through any of those clouds?!” The stars were there main map in the night time, especially when the water was so choppy, but from where he stood there was not a single piece of the sky visible behind the green clouds that enveloped them.  
  
The crew was trying their hardest to keep the ship on course. Robbie was at the helm, holding onto the steering wheel like his life depended on it. "I can't see anything up there!! There are no stars in sight!!" He looked at the menacing sky, the angry waves, and to his determined but frightened crew. “We...we need to turn back!! This storm is worse than anything I've seen before! It would be safest if we went a different route!"  
  
Sportacus had been dead-set of reaching LazyTown in two month's time, but Robbie knew what he was talking about. The safest route was the most logical decision. "O-okay!" he winced as the wind caused a rope to come loose from the sail, and it slapped him harshly in the face, "TURN BACK!!" he ordered the men behind him who controlled sails of their own.  
  
Ugh, they had already sailed for so long, though! He couldn't imagine reaching any island in time to escape the storm. As if on cue, the gusts of wind grew fiercer, deadlier. The rain that had been coming down in small bursts was now pounding into their skin like shards of glass, falling sideways in the direction of their faces. It was almost impossible to see anything with the salt water threatening to pierce their eyes every millisecond.  
  
This was Hell. It had to be. 

"Robbie!" Sportacus tried shouting through the monsoon, but just as he did so, the ship had begun to veer dangerously too far to the left, causing many of the men to let go of their ropes and go tumbling to the other side of the ship.  
  
Robbie's hat flew off and he was slammed in the face with rain, trying so hard to steer the ship but at this point it was almost no use. He squinted at his crew, trying to see Sportacus through the downpour. "The sea has us at her mercy, men! Hold onto something! Anything!" They couldn't escape this storm. There was no way. He only hoped they could make it out alive...somehow. He stared with wide eyes at their impending doom. Then he gasped, "LOUIS! Make sure the children are safe!!" Ella. Stephanie. Sportacus. His crew. His family. He wanted everyone to make it through this alive, and his grip tightened on the wheel as the storm took them.  
  
Screaming. A few men, and their one woman crew member on board went flying down as the ship was practically on it's side now. Sportacus flung his hand out to grab someone, ANYONE that was falling. His feet were barely on the ground as he caught one man, but for the others, it was too late. Three of the pirates on deck, though trying their best to claw their way back up the ropes, were lost in the rain and eventually to the sea.  
  
"Hold on!" He instructed the pirate that was gripping his hand.  
  
"It's no use!!" the other replied "It's...Oh mother of God!!" Sportacus turned to see what was giving the man such a start. There, above their ship, came a colossal wave so tall it could reach the heavens...and it was falling straight their way. In response, the pirate gave Sportacus a pitiful nod before letting go on his own to take his own life before the wave hit.  
  
———————  
  
Blackness. Silence. Nothingness. A raging headache. Ringing in his ears. A tightness in his chest and oh godohgodohgod he couldn't breathe. Robbie opened his eyes slowly and realized he had been hit in the head and fuck his boat was sinking and FUCK his MEN were drowning and where was Sportacus, where was Ella, where was Stephanie. He was panicking, and he realized he needed air. He swam up to the surface, the storm still raging but moving onward. Rain and waves his his face as he gasped for air, before diving back down into the water. Some of his men were conscious, thank the gods. He needed to find Ella. Stephanie. Sportacus. Those names swam through his mind as he searched the waters, debris from the ship sinking all around him.  
  
Robbie swam towards the main ship that was continuing to sink. It was moving away...but it was something big that his crew could gravitate towards. But it was moving way too fast... he kept swimming that direction, pulling up for at every few minutes. He tried to think rationally. The children were probably with the ship. Yes...they had an air locked cabin...they should...they should be fine. He hoped Louis was with them. That left Sportacus as his main concern. He floated around in the water, looking for that golden mass of hair he adored so much...he wasn't sure what he'd do if he was dead...his head stung, his ears were ringing, but he kept swimming in search for his love.  
  
And yet, there was nothing. Nothing! Sportacus was nowhere to be seen, and Robbie contemplated just letting himself drown along with his ship. He had nothing now. No map, no treasure, no food, and no family. No Sportacus. With an angry sob, he brought himself back up to the surface. Any crew members that were still alive where probably gathering at the ship or drifting away, as he could barely see anything in the distance. He choked on water, swimming over to the nearest block of driftwood. He latched onto it, and he let himself sob, angry tears spilling down his face. He supposed this was his fate after all. The waves pushed him along, drifting farther away from the direction of the ship.  
  
Sportacus, meanwhile, was just trying to breathe. He was still hanging onto a rope, but it was attached to nothing but a board under water. Where was he? Still on the ship? Wait...yes. He was. But the ship was almost entirely underwater. Oh God, where was everyone? Where was Robbie? He let go of the rope to begin swimming around in search of anyone who was still alive.  
  
He swam about in a frenzy, nearly blinded by the dark sea as he searched for any sign of his love's state of being.

Nothing over here. Nothing over there. Nothing. Nothing!!!

He...he couldn't hold his breath any…long...er. Panicking, he swam to the surface and took in a humongous gulp of air, gagging on the rain water that continued to pierce the surface of the sea. Oh god, he could see nothing. No ship, no helm. Nothing. Just rain. Just waves. Just tears. And a thick plank of driftwood. He swam up to it for something to keep him afloat, too shocked to do anything right now but lay on it.  
  
But wait! What was that? Something poking out of the water! He paddled for his life towards the shape.  
  
"Robbie? Robbie??"  
  
No. It was...his hat. Just...his hat.  
  
He couldn't keep it in anymore. Sportacus began to sob, louder than the wind, louder than the rain. All he could feel was the pain in his head and ears as the sea took him, pulling him far away from the debris and out into the ocean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is kind of like the end on an arc! I know I cried while rping this haha. Look forward to the next chapter!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Years after the storm, Robbie travels back to LazyTown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I left you on a cliffhanger for so long! It wasn't exactly intentional. Please enjoy this next chapter! :) Don't read this on a bad day.

Years had passed. Robbie lost count at four. After the storm, which wrecked his ship and his life, the waves sent him to a small island, which he'd never visited before. Sometimes he thought about how if he had landed somewhere he'd once been, the people would've killed him. He almost would have preferred that, because he didn't have the drive to end it himself. His coat and all his belongings had washed away, leaving him barren. He was homeless, and certainly looked the part. For months he steeled away to the jungle of the island, close to the beach. He lived off the fruits of the trees and bathed in the sea, crying to himself until his eyes went dry most nights. His insomnia only escalated, he would go a week without sleeping before he passed out, and then the cycle would restart.   
  
He only moved into town on one of his unconscious days, when a couple wandering citizens found him on the beach. The poor man was very thin, fragile, with a deathly complexion accentuated by the bags under his eyes. He was slowly nursed back to health, but he still couldn't sleep. When he felt he trusted his saviors enough, he told them his story. They weren't totally sure how they felt about it, but they had to admit, he wasn't scary. There was nothing he could do at this point — he had no power. He also told them that he had a debt owed to LazyTown, and that he still intended to do something about his past grievances.   
  
So they put him to work. At first they had him make clothes for them, paying him more each time. Then when their friends asked, he was commissioned from them too. Soon people all over the town were commissioning Robbie for clothing. He said before that he would never make clothing for a noble, but here he was, making the finest clothes for the town's governor, the mayor, the guards, and their families. The governor gave him a boat as payment for a ballroom piece. All the while, Robbie was thinking about the love he had lost. He thought about his niece. Nothing here could make him happy, but if he could pay back something, anything, he would do everything he could to get to that point. His saviors agreed to keep him in their home, so he could save every last piece of gold he earned to give to LazyTown. As he boarded his boat with his earnings, he was made aware that it had been seven years. Seven years since the storm. Seven years since he'd found and lost the love of his life. With a thankful goodbye, Robbie set sail once more. He was back on the sea, which he had missed so dearly. This was where he belonged, the ocean was his livelihood. He had a new map, a new compass, and a new sword, using the sun during the day and the stars at night to guide him back to where it all began, in hopes of redeeming himself. And Sportacus was on his mind the whole way.  
  
Robbie sailed for months. He was far, far away from LazyTown, and he had to stop on islands along the way to gather more food. He kept his hair pulled back and short, continuing to shave his greying beard. His clothes, while extravagant enough for his taste, were a completely different style from his previous pirate-wear. He looked more like a noble, which he tried not to think too much about. He still hated government officials.   
  
After about three months of sailing, the thin, reformed pirate reached the dock of LazyTown, and he realized just how long he was really gone. Everything had…changed. He felt really strange being back here, and his stomach churned. He just hoped his offering would be accepted.  
  
You only had to be in LazyTown once before to realize that something wasn’t exactly normal. It looked as though very little of the existing buildings had survived, and the few that did had been replaced by architecture resembling more of an English-style than their previous Icelandic influences. But that's not what was...unnatural. No, what was off was the absolutely decrepit state that all of the _new_ houses were in. Roofs were falling in, water was leaking from many of the stone walls, and any citizen who dared be outside looked...miserable. Except the soldiers. And there were a _lot_ of soldiers. There was a starkly noticeable difference in attitude, and even the color of the nobles versus the citizens. The few townspeople that could be seen were dressed in brown sacks, or grey smocks filled with holes. Their faces were discolored and hollow, their backs hunched from being completely overworked. They looked afraid of everything and everyone. Off in the distance, like a piece of gold buried under a mountain of ashes, was a grand mansion shining in the sunlight. It was surrounded by a tall, polished fence and guards at the gate. Obviously, someone of importance was living there. Lastly, among all the rubbish and filth was something noticeably cleaner than anything in the town square. In the middle of the path stood a small podium with an inscription on it. Upon closer inspection, the words read: "LazyTown Should Always Be Happy.”  
  
Robbie walked into town cautiously, squinting at the tall mansion. What had happened here? This wasn't what he was expecting to come back to when he returned to the pillaged town. This...this looked exactly like the kind of things he was trying to stop. No. This was worse. This wasn't even a trading port anymore, the way their government seemed to work. He looked around at the citizens, before carefully walking up to one of the men, keeping his distance. "Excuse me...could you...tell me what happened to this town? It used to be so…lively."  
  
The man was younger, but with this state of living, one couldn't tell. Bespeckled and blonde, he looked like someone who had lost a lot of weight, and not in a healthy manner. He jumped at the sound, holding his heart for a moment before looking up at the threateningly taller man.   
  
"S-sorry..." he looked around to see if any soldiers were walking about, "What...happened? Do you mean before or after it was destroyed by pirates?"  
  
Robbie tried to seem as nonthreatening as possible, keeping his hands open and making sure there was enough space between them. He noticed the other man was watching for the guards. "After the pirates came...I...figured the town would have...recovered some. But this is devastating."  
  
"N-no!" he shouted a little louder than he needed to, as if he wanted someone to hear him, "A-are you joking? He's done a wonderful job! He saved us from further raids! We're safe now with all this extra security."  
  
Robbie frowned, squinting his eyes. He hushed his tone to a whisper, "I need to know the truth, sir. This...isn't right. You shouldn't be in poverty like this."  
  
"I don't know—,” his eyes very purposefully pointed to a guard who had noticed the both of them as a warning, "what you are talking about."  
  
That same guard shouted over to the two. "You there! Stranger!" He jogged over, sword at the ready in case of any funny business, "I don't think I have ever seen you in the square before. What is the residential block number in which you reside?"  
  
Robbie jumped slightly, turning around to face the guard, standing at his full height. "I sailed here to...do business. But apparently I've been away too long to know that the government has...changed so drastically. I thought I could do some trading here?"  
  
"There's no trading in LazyTown," the soldier looked at him as though he'd just said the stupidest thing imaginable, "All goods are processed through the governor. It is illegal to sell goods outside of his jurisdiction."  
  
"That is...very sad to hear, then, sir," Robbie shifted his eyes. This was not good. Something had happened. And...it was his fault. Before he could speak again, there was a gasp behind him and the guard. A woman seemed to recognize him. Just his luck. "That sword! That's the pirate who took Lord Sportacus away!" He didn't process that his sword looked exactly like his old one. He was a man of consistency. But hearing the name Sportacus made him freeze up, his mind going blank.  
  
The blonde man he'd been speaking with drew back in terror, just now realizing what was going on. “A-and Stephanie. The man who... Oh my god..." he stumbled backwards and ran back into his house.  
  
"A pirate, eh?" the soldier roughly grabbed the former-pirate’s arm, calling for backup from his men.  
  
Robbie wasn't at his strongest, but he sure did his best. This wasn't the reaction he had wanted. He pulled his arm back, swiftly pulling out his sword. "I've come to make peace! I've brought money I've earned myself to help this town. But its in a worse state than I would have ever imagined."  
  
"Money?" the soldiers all looked at each other with a knowing glance before focusing back on the sword-swinging man. Everyone had run into their homes at this point, but it didn't stop them from peeking through their windows at the action. It had been seven years since they'd last seen a stranger in LazyTown, but this is not what they wanted. The soldier who spoke to him first smirked, "Well, if that's the case then I think it’s best to speak to the Governor about this."  
  
Robbie hesitantly lowered his sword, "Is that so? I would...love to speak with the governor." He sneered with disgust.  
  
"Then I kindly ask you to hand me your sword, sir," the soldier didn't look like he was "kindly" asking at all.  
  
"I don't know if I want to do that. Sir," he sheathed his sword, looking defensive.  
  
The soldier tried his best to keep his calm, but looked just about ready to tip over the edge. "If not, I will have to jail you for insubordination. And we don't want that now, do we? You want to see the Governor."  
  
Robbie bit his lip. This whole situation made him feel sick. He cautiously handed over his sword, glaring harshly at the guard.  
  
The soldier wrenched it away and shoved it into an empty holster of his own. "We thank you for your cooperation. Now move it." The guard shoved him forward a bit before leading the way to the mansion.  
  
Robbie grunted, being led by the guards to the extravagant building. He had to do something. He didn't want to disappoint Sportacus. He wanted to make amends with this town, but he had to see what kind of tyrant he was working with first. He hoped, really hoped, he could do something.  
  
After passing through both the first and second level of the golden gates, the soldiers opened the door to the manor to reveal the main foyer in all it's awful glory. The floor was covered in a pearly mica that accented the stained glass windows. The walls were marble, painted with hints of gold leafing in every decoration, which to most people (including the soldiers) looked absolutely garish. The most prominent feature, however, was the onyx chandelier that loomed overhead like a black cloud, surveying the area with contempt.  
  
Everything looked so fancy and expensive, which was absolutely horrible. Everyone in town was living in poverty when the governor was living like this?? This wasn't acceptable. Robbie could only think of the things he wanted to do to this man when he met him.  
  
The soldiers finally led him to a door on the third floor, and told him to wait outside while they asked their governor about a meeting. Only a few words were recognizable from outside.  
  
"...pirate...Lord Sportacus…money." It wasn't long after the word "money" was uttered that the soldier returned.  
  
"The Governor will see you now."  
  
They led him inside a vast, perfectly round room absolutely covered in paintings and artworks that were unquestionably commissioned by the finest artists of their era, and several sculptures hung from the wall like glistening gargoyles. Other than that, there wasn't much else present but for a fireplace and a taller platform in the middle where a desk was placed. On top of that desk lounged a lanky, well-dressed boy whose swinging leg was hanging over the side. He had to be no older than…seventeen?  
  
Robbie blinked, staring at the teenager. This was the governor?? He looked like the town’s banker, whom they'd killed. Was this his child?   
  
"Greetings...governor." He looked skeptical.  
  
"That's Sir Governor to you," Governor Stingy replied tartly as he sat up from his position, his leather boots scuffing the ground as they touched the floor. His voice, while not like a child's, was a bit high for someone his age. Of course it had deepened immensely over the course of seven years, but it still reached an octave that could get on your nerves in just the right way depending on how he said it.  
  
"Yes... _Sir_ Governor..." Robbie grimaced. "I came in an attempt to make peace with this town. I've brought money to help the people. But it looks like there's enough money worth using here...so why are the townspeople in poverty. _Sir_?"  
  
Stingy wasn't used to being spoken to that way, and he definitely didn't take it well. "Excuse me, but is a _pirate_ speaking to me as if I'm the one who has to check my privileges?" He stepped off from his desk and walked up to him without fear, standing almost as tall as him now. "For your information, I have been in dire need of money for quite some time," he scoffed, "I have been funding a wall to be built around this town for the protection of the citizens. I haven't the money to afford it."  
  
Robbie raised an eyebrow, straightening his back to still be decently taller than the boy. "Are you sure that's for protection? Or do you just not want anyone to leave? I understand what I did was wrong, I thought your government was as corrupt as it was twenty years ago. But it seems it’s worse than that now."  
  
" _Don't_ talk to me that way!!" The boy actually shouted at him now, eyes filled with an immature rage, "How _dare_ you place me on a pedestal lower than your own pile of shit that you walk on? You pirates burned this town to the ground, you stole my friends, you _killed_ my father!" Stingy noticed his lost temperament and breathed a long, slightly unnerving sigh, " _You. Are. Trash._ "  
  
Robbie stepped back slightly at the enraged child, but he relaxed his shoulders. "Yeah. I know I am. What I did was…" he looked for the right words, "...deplorable. Horrifying. Devastating. But I have to ask...why are you having the citizens live in poverty? It doesn't sound great coming from someone like me, but what good does that do?"  
  
"The wealthier this town is, the more vulnerable we'll be," Stingy grimaced at all his previous accusations, each of them repeating on loop in his head, "It's to protect us all from murderous, disgusting, _sub-humans_ like you. To make sure we're never trampled by the scum of the sea ever again," he began walking back up to his desk, "And now that I think about it..." he snapped his fingers, causing the two guards at his side to grab Robbie's arms to hold him back, "We can't let a criminal like you wander the streets, now can we?"  
  
Robbie opened his mouth to say something, then bit his lip. He understood what the governor meant, and he looked down. There was a good point in that statement, even though the people were unhappy. With nothing else to live for, he let himself go lax in the guards' arms. "Just allow the citizens to be a little happy. That's all I have to say."  
  
"Oh...I'm sure your public execution will make them more than pleased," the boy smirked to himself, giggling a little at the thought. He then turned around, “ _But_ , by law I am obligated to offer you a _trial_. But I'm sure we'll have no trouble with the prosecution, now will we?" He sat back down on his desk, "Jives! Get me a Supreme Court Judge. This is an historical event, after all."  
  
Robbie just sighed and accepted this fate. He had this coming for him. He succumbed to the pull of the guards, being led away.   
  
Because this was such a historical event, word got around, reaching the other governors of other islands. Soon, everyone knew the man who caused the devastation of the LazyTown was to be killed. “Notorious Pirate Rottenbeard to be Executed for His Crimes” was a headline which became known by all who had access to the news.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sportacus prepares himself for Robbie's execution, until some unexpected friends come to save the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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> 
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> 
> Please check them out, share with your friends, and enjoy this chapter!!!!

The next seven years of Sportacus’ life had been the longest he had ever lived. He truly felt as if he were not living.  
  
After he was found half dead and emaciated on the coast of Medi-Dale, he was taken in by their officials and cared for in their top-notch hospital facility.  After months of work and care, he was released and hired for a farming job in town. But even though his physical wounds were healed, it was a totally different story for his mental state. The depression had hit so bad that his boss had him book a room in the local psychiatric hospital, where he stayed a few years while working on crop-harvesting at the farm. Even though he was surrounded by others in far worse situations than him (some even going so far to proclaim they were possessed by demons), the experience did help. The nurses were kind, as were the doctors. He even made some lasting friendships with a few of the patients (namely the ones admitted for charges of homosexuality and perversion). In his third year of voluntary institutionalization, he claimed sanity and began to look for more creative outlets for his emotions.  
  
He became a writer for the local gazette, and with a stroke of luck, was recognized by the governor himself for his prose. He had been hired to become the State Secretary at the age of, gah, he didn’t know. He stopped tracking the time years ago. But he knew he was older now, and visibly so. His laugh lines had transformed into permanent creases, and his once voluminous, blonde hair was thinning and brittle. He still maintained his wonderful physique, but not for the same reasons. He exercised to forget now. He exercised to push himself to a point where he could no longer think or breathe. He exercised to keep living.  
  
And live he did. The next few years were spent writing to government officials back and forth, and recording important trials and executions in detail. He’d even written a few books, which had become some of the most popular reads for nobles. They were filled with heroic tales of piracy starring two young men with some rather overt, homoerotic subtext. As you would guess the novels became quite the gossip at ladies parties. The books, of course, were less fantastical and more a representation on what could have been…What he wished he were doing right now. “ _No_ ,” he purposefully spilled ink on his manuscript as he reached the last chapter of his final novel, looking absolutely destroyed. He didn’t want them to end.  
  
And that’s when it happened. Sportacus nearly vomited when his employer told him the news.  
  
"Pack up," he had told him, "We're headed to a place called LazyTown. That old pirate Rottenbeard has finally been jailed. I've been asked to be the presiding judiciary presence. The papers have jumped to his execution, and for good reason, but for the sake of formalities and documentation, a trial is being held."  
  
It all felt like...a dream. A nightmare. A hallucination.  
  
He'd spent years in the hospital trying to forget all this, to remove himself from any thoughts involving that year with Robbie Rotten. But now he was being told he was _alive_? Alive and on his way to be _killed_? This couldn't be happening.  
  
He spent that week packing up his things with a blank stare and empty stomach. He...he wouldn't believe it until he saw it. If Robbie was alive then...he didn't know what he would do. Would he have changed? Would he have even remembered him? It was just a year out of his amazing pirate life...perhaps Sportacus was simply the first of many lovers. 

All these thoughts wracked both his mind and body as both he, and his employer boarded the next ship to LazyTown, and he spent the entire journey shaking and sobbing in his bedclothes.  
  
He hated ships.  
  
_Hated them._  
  
—  
  
Robbie was slowly rotting away in the prison. He wasn't given any food, but jokes on them, he's starved himself plenty of times. This was nothing. He laid on the floor, staring at the ceiling before he choked out a sob. Everything came crashing down on him. He was going to die. He was....finally going to die. As tears streamed down his face, he thought back on Sportacus. How could one man make him feel so important? So wanted? So loved? He rubbed harshly at his face, trying to get the tears to stop. If Sportacus was dead...maybe...just maybe, if there was another life, he would be able to see his love again. Yes...he would be able to see Sportacus again in the next life. He welcomed what was coming to him. He was ready.  
  
—  
  
After about a week and a half of travel by boat, Sportacus and his superior had finally stepped foot in LazyTown.  
  
And by god it looked awful.  
  
"Hrm," his boss raised a brow at the sight, "Not the cleanest of places, am I right, Magnús?" He gave a small chortle, "Don't know why a pirate would ever want to raid this place." Sportacus was too lost in thought to give a proper reply.  
  
He'd hoped that he'd feel some sort of welcoming aura here. Or at least a recognizable building! Well, he guessed he shouldn't be hypocritical, for he, too, was completely unrecognizable. His hair was much longer than before, down to his shoulders at least, and he'd completely foregone his mustache for a trendier style of beard. His heavy clothes covered up his muscular frame quite well, and nobody would be able to recognize him like that.  
  
They were led to the Governor's house to discuss the date and time of the trial with the man himself.  
  
—  
  
Robbie hadn't slept or eaten in an entire week, and honestly, it was a surprise how he wasn't dead already. He'd much rather die of starvation, or sleep deprivation, than by being hung. He'd probably be stripped of his clothes and humiliated. Ha...at least he had a bit of a beard once again, to live up to his name. Soon he'd be able to see Sportacus again...soon...  
  
When the day if the execution had arrived, he tiredly and readily complied when the guards came to bring him to trial, not needing any pushing or shoving. He was going to do this without a fight.  
  
With the trial being such a massive event, the entire population of LazyTown had been invited to meet in the town square where a large court-hearing box had been rendered for both the judge and Robbie to preside. Sportacus would be sitting near the front in order to properly document all that was said.  
  
Like a cherry on top of an already morbid cake, the gallows hung nearby, right in front of where Robbie would be sitting to remind him how this trial was supposed to end. Governor Stingy sat up and close to the gallows, smiling smugly to himself as the rest of the observers filed in. Sportacus was at his desk, shakily setting up his papers and quills for documentation. He had asked to see Robbie before the event, but for legal reasons, he was not allowed. He would have to see him for the first time in seven years here in court...about to die.  
  
Everything was eerily silent. People knew what was going to happen, and deaths were not extremely pleasant in any way. Pushing through the silence, loud, strong boots were heard marching up, and two guards shoved the emaciated Robbie into the chair facing the gallows. He stared at the rope, eyes glazed over and a scarily calm expression on his face.  
  
Sportacus' heart had to have physically stopped in that moment. His world fell completely silent, and he felt his vision blurring. It was like he was drowning all over again. The love of his life...the man he'd thought dead for over seven years...was sitting right down in front of everybody. His first reaction was to just run forward and embrace him.  
  
But he...he couldn't just run out there right now. Oh, god. There were guards, and soldiers with guns…and— “Quiet down!" his employer, and the judge had just entered the area and sat down at the podium, "Court is now in session!"  
  
The trial began, but Robbie was barely listening. With every accusation, he agreed. He did many horrible things, and he just wanted to get this over with. He wanted to be with Sportacus again. When he was found guilty, he stepped up to the gallows, the rope hanging in front of his face. He lazily glanced over the crowd…and then he stopped.  
  
Those eyes. Those blue eyes, like the sea. Piercing into him. Looking straight at him.  
  
Sitting, right in front of him, was Sportacus. _His_ Sportacus.  
  
His heart stopped. His mouth went dry. Sportacus looked so different, but he was still so beautiful. Sportacus was...alive??? He was alive!!! And here Robbie was...about to die. When Robbie was asked if he had any last words, he couldn't speak, and as they wrapped the rope around his neck, a shot rang out in the distance. Everyone startled, and a gang of young pirates burst their way into the court, led by two young women. One with long, pink hair, and the other with short, black hair. Behind the group was a large man with a scar on his neck...it was Louis. And Ella. And Stephanie. Oh god. Robbie fell backwards, shocked by this outburst. He was shaking. This...was this real? Was he going to live?  
  
Sportacus had been neglecting to do his job this entire time, instead staring ahead at the man he once thought dead and merely pretending to write. But once that group of ruffians came storming in he shot up from his chair. 

Stephanie?? And was that Ella? And there was Robbie, alive! What was happening? Before he knew it, he was running straight into the middle of the action, ignoring his superior when he shouted at him to return.  
  
Meanwhile, the Governor was looking scandalized. NO. He was just about to be rid of the final plague on this town, and more ruffians file in to ruin it all?? _This_ is why he needed the wall. He needed to be safe! A-and this wasn't safe. The man slipped through the crowd and snuck away to his mansion to hide.  
  
"Nobody move!" Captain Stephanie held her pistol to the air and fired another shot, "We're here to pick up a friend!"  
  
The guards ran at the young pirates, fighting the skilled teens, but they were amazingly strong. Ella forced her way through the squabbling, up to Robbie. "Uncle!!" She easily picked up the weak man, who was frozen in his shock.  
  
"Ell...Sporta...Sportacus is...here..." Ella looked surprised, and looked around while she ran back to the entrance with her uncle in her arms. She hopped over to Stephanie's side, "Sportacus is here too! Somewhere! They're both alive, Stephanie!"  
  
"Don't joke like that," the pink-haired girl snapped, until she realized that Ella was completely serious, "Where? Where?!"  
  
"HERE!!" A voice rang out before a man triple back flipped into the middle of the crowd, knocking out two guards who had tried to sneak up on them. Sportacus stood up from his flip with wide, wet eyes. He couldn't believe what he was seeing in front of him.  
  
Robbie stared at Sportacus, his eyes as wide as saucers. Suddenly, he was shoved against the other man's chest, "Sportacus! Get my uncle out of here! We've got this!" Ella winked at him, going back to fighting the guards. Once they finished that, they needed to go have a …talk with the governor about the state the town was in.  
  
Sportacus held the man bridle style and wordlessly ran towards the shore. How did they get here? What was he looking for? Where could he possibly lay hi- Oh.  
   
Docked right on the shore was a humongous ship sailing purple and pink flags. He ran ahead into the ship, and was almost stopped by a younger teenager who was standing guard. "I-I have...Robbie."  
  
The kid's mouth dropped open, "Sportacus! Oh my- Yes, get in here!" 

Once on deck, he laid Robbie down and ordered the boy to get him some water. "What the fuck?" He couldn't hold in his tears, "I thought...I mean. You were dead. You were dead, Robbie. You had to be dead."  
  
It took Robbie a long moment, his chest heaving with pained breaths. And then the tears came. He thought he couldn't cry anymore at this point. He reached a shaking hand up to cup Sportacus' face, eyebrows knitting, "I was so ready to die...just to see you again...I thought...you were gone forever..."  
  
"C-careful. You'll dehydrate yourself with all those t-tears," he was sobbing over him as well, but he managed to reach into the bag at his side. "You were gone. And dead. A-and I spent years trying to escape the pain of losing you..." From his bag he pulled a nappy, flat and dirty cloth item: Robbie's hat.  
  
"But I never forgot.”  
  
The former pirate choked out another sob, taking the hat from Sportacus in his hands. His breath shuddered, "Everything I did...every day...it was all for you...I made clothing for nobles for you," he huffed out a laugh. "I never stopped thinking about you, Sportacus...I can't believe you're alive..."  
  
"Shhh, just..." he kissed his forehead, his cheeks, nose, and neck, "I love you. I love you. I love you." Their little pirate friend looked a bit awkward as he placed a goblet of water by them, but Sportacus was polite enough to pull away and thank him, "Here..." he held the water up to his mouth to assist him in drinking.  
  
"I love you...so much, Sportacus..." he slowly leaned up, sipping at the water. He was so dehydrated and the water felt so amazing. He leaned on Sportacus, grabbing to his jacket.  
  
—  
  
As Sportacus took care of his love and life, the girls had some business to settle. They didn't have much information about the subject. They didn't know who the Governor was or why the town was in such poor condition. All they knew was that the townspeople actually looked like they were enjoying this rebellion a little _too_ much. They may have been terrified of pirates, but they were scared of their government more. And once they realized it wasn't the townspeople they were after, they were happy to cheer on the beating of the soldiers that had harassed them for years.  
  
As their scrappy crew continued their melee, Stephanie grabbed Ella's hand to pull her from the crowd. "Let's find whoever's in charge.”  
  
Ella nodded, squeezing Stephanie's hand as they ran into the mansion. They searched the house, ready to face whoever was in charge. "HEY GOVERNOR! Show your ugly, frightened mug! Face us!!"  
  
Governor Stingy was currently hiding under his desk, shaking with both sword and gun in hand. This shouldn't have been happening. Why him? Was his family cursed to be plagued by piracy?? He was _so_ close.  
  
And now these pirate bitches were there to ruin it all. He never did like girls much, and this wasn't helping. He heard one of them shout from the foyer, and he cocked his gun with a start. Stephanie was searching around the place for a hint at where he'd be hiding. "He seems cowardly. He must be hiding in a room somewhere.”  
  
"Maybe hiding under something..." Ella stepped cautiously into Stingy's office, looking through the room. She squinted, walking forward. The desk. There was a chance... "Come on out, Governor. We need to..talk."  
  
Stingy tried to calm down his shaking, considering whether to shoot now or wait. No...there were two of them. If he shot now, the other would surely retaliate, leaving him no room for escape. 

"About what?" he shouted form under the desk, he tried making his voice sound more intimidating, "Going to gloat that you've pillaged this town twice now?"  
  
Ella spit on the floor, the governor sounded young, " _I've_ never been here. I just came to save my uncle. But whatever you've done to LazyTown is devastating and you must answer for your crimes."  
  
"If you don't come out from under the desk..." Stephanie moved forward with deliberately loud steps, "We will jump on TOP!" She slammed her feet down on the desk, causing Stingy to pop up with a shriek.  
  
"S-Stephanie??"  
  
Ella leaned on the desk, raising a brow, not unlike her uncle, "You look like you're our age! What are you doing running a town??" She looked between Stingy and Stephanie.  
  
"I-I-" he hid his sword under the desk, and concealed his gun in his back pocket, "This place was burnt to the ground after you were kidnapped, Stephanie! Your uncle was killed, my father was killed...everyone of importance! I was left the wealthiest person in town so...I did the responsible thing and took your uncle's place!"  
  
Stephanie looked to Ella, and then back to Stingy with disbelief. "You...took over the town at nine years old?"  
  
"Well, no. Not exactly..." he brushed his fallen bangs back indignantly, "It was the servants who did most of the legal work, but...once I turned sixteen, it all fell to me!"  
  
Ella's mouth formed a thin line. They must have been childhood friends. "Well...what made you think it was okay to strip your citizens of...basic human rights? They were miserable. This town is miserable. Stephanie told me about what this place was like before...the people are suffering."  
  
Stingy had wanted to ask Stephanie why she was gallivanting around as a pirate now, but he had been interrupted. "The people don't know what's good for them!" He snapped back at the darker haired girl, causing the calming Stephanie to once again become defensive. "I help them. I spent hundreds on defenses for our town to keep them safe," he gave the girls a most disgusted look, "And in the end, that didn't work, did it?"  
  
Ella slammed her fist on the desk, " _You_ don't know what's good for your people! They cheered when we fought your guards! They _hate_ you! You make them miserable! We were only here to save my uncle, but this town seems like it needs saving as well." She sneered. "Governments like yours disgust me. People shouldn't be living in poverty like this."  
  
On instinct, Stingy pulled his sword out from the desk to point it right at Ella. "I don't think you should be talking to me that way," he was terrified, but more importantly, he was indignant.

Nobody insulted him and got away with it. No. One.  
  
Stephanie's eyes widened with fury when the brat held a sword straight at her girl. He may have been her childhood friend, and he may have been placed in power too early for him to truly understand the law...but she would not stand for that.  
  
Ella sneered at Stingy, raising her sword against him. "I don't think you're fit to run this town. Step down or I'll make you."  
  
"And I don't think you're fit to _lick. My. Shoes._ " The boy actually spat right in Ella's face, causing Stephanie to just lose it. She slashed her sword his way, which he promptly blocked. Being the son of a wealthy noble allowed for him to take extensive fencing courses, but he never knew they would come in handy.  
  
Ella wiped her face, jumping over the desk and kicking Stingy down on the ground. She would _not_ stand for him opposing her girl, and he needed to go down. She shoved her heeled boot in his stomach, "You need to learn a lesson, boy."  
  
"Y-yeah?" He gagged for a moment as he felt that sharp heel dig into him. He was nowhere near as skilled as a pirate at fighting, not by a long shot...but he was the master of making rash decisions at a moment's notice. From his place on the ground, he grabbed for his gun and held it straight up at Ella with shaking hands.  
  
Ella smacked the gun away with her sword, "Do you want to die? Because I really don't want to have to kill you if I don't need to. Can't you see what you've done is wrong?"  
  
"CAN'T YOU SEE WHAT YOU'VE DONE IS WRONG?!" He mockingly shouted her own words back at her with rage in his eyes, chest heaving up and down, " _Everything_ was taken away from me!! My friends! My family! My home! I _deserve_ all of this! All of it!" He looked back and forth between the two girls, "How could you be a part of this, Stephanie?? How could you throw your morals away and join this filthy lifestyle??"  
  
Stephanie looked absolutely stone-faced, "I don't think I'm the only one with questionable morals, Stingy."  
  
Ella frowned, "Seven years ago we lost my uncle and Sportacus. We had to sail the seas for seven years trying to find them, thinking they were dead. We had to adapt to the lifestyle to survive, because the seas aren't forgiving. But we have not pillaged. Or killed the innocent. Or made people miserable." She sneered at Stingy, "If anything, were still on a moral high-ground compared to you."  
  
"I-I'm not...I'm not bad. I'm not a bad person. I'm not..." He began to lose his confidence as every truth was thrown at him. Stephanie could hear no more of this. She crouched down on one knee and spoke to the young governor directly.  
  
"You've always been a greedy, nasty, bratty, selfish, egocentric, self-centered, self-righteous, angry, little boy..." she used her sword to make him look directly into her eyes.  
  
"Sportacus would be disappointed in you."  
  
And with that comment...Stingy actually began to cry.  
  
Ella sighed and picked up Stingy's sword and gun, putting them away. She let a moment pass before she leaned on the desk. "This mansion could fund like...the whole town. Plus we've got all that treasure. We could rebuild it."  
  
Stephanie left the boy crying on the floor as she joined her girlfriend on the desk. He wouldn't be any problem for them now. "Yeah! And with so few residents, they could have some _really_ nice houses!"  
  
"Exactly!! It might take some time, but the economy could grow once again! I really believe it!" She nestled her forehead against Stephanie's.  
  
"So..." she whispered to Ella softly so Stingy couldn't hear it, "What do we do about him?" The boy was still crying to himself on the floor in the fetal position.  
  
"I suppose," she looked back to Stingy a moment, "I think if we got Sportacus to talk to him, that would really put him in his place, if I'm being honest. And we need to find someone who could actually run this government correctly."  
  
"I mean...my uncle was no genius, but everyone loved him," Stephanie gave her a kiss on the cheek, "I think...anyone would be better than my friend here," she gave him another once over, "I actually feel kind of bad..."  
  
Ella sighed, "He was upset and made...irrational decisions. I know someone like that," she huffed a laugh. "But...I think we can really change this town for the better. For everyone."  
  
Stephanie ruffled up Ella's hair before taking off her belt to tie Stingy's hands together. She didn't want to, but they had to be careful. He seemed to be pretty unpredictable nowadays. Together, they walked him out of his manor, past the cheering townspeople and the unconscious guards. The judge was nowhere to be found, and he was presumably hiding in a home with some of the other, more timid villagers.  
  
"People of LazyTown!!!" Captain Stephanie announced to the crowd, "Your lives start TODAY!" And with that she stabbed the Town Stone with her sword, accidentally breaking off the end piece.  
  
"Whoops."


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As LazyTown prepares to get itself back on its feet, Sportacus has a well-needed talk with Stingy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting close to the end here! This chapter is a lot of dialogue, and the next chapter probably will be too. Just some loose ends left to tie up, and then there will be an epilogue! 
> 
> ALSO! If you haven't, please check out the Captain Rottenbeard and Lord Sportacus charms I have on pre-order! Pre-orders are open until April 20.  
> http://marstar.tictail.com/product/you-are-a-pirate-robbie-and-sportacus-charms

It was decided that an election would be held to determine the new governor of LazyTown, and the townspeople were completely on board with this idea. Ella and Stephanie stayed in town, making a list of all the citizens who wanted to run in the election. Men and women alike began to work on their campaigns, ready to do what they could to bring the somber town back to its former glory.  
  
After coming to an agreement with the crowd, the girls decided that the soldiers who helped to oppress LazyTown would be jailed for the night. Their loyalty needed to be assessed, because not many of the townsfolk seemed to be comfortable in their presence. After all was deemed safe, the Captains brought Stingy back with them to their ship, the boy’s hands still tied behind his back.  
  
Robbie had been laid down in Louis’ quarters now, with Sportacus by his side and telling him just what he had been doing over the past seven years. The former Captain spoke softly, letting his partner know what he'd been doing as well. He figured it wasn't quite as invigorating as Sportacus' life had been. He held his hand as tight as he could, "I'm glad I stayed alive for this moment. It's been a long seven years, but it was worth it to see your beautiful face again," he cupped his love's face, smiling at him.  
  
"Guess life's made you a softie," Sportacus smiled through his ridiculous hair and beard, chuckling and giving him a little kiss, "You're acting like you're my dying grandmother."  
  
Robbie laughed, kissing Sportacus back, "By all means, I probably shouldn't even be alive right now. But I guess the universe wanted to keep me around for this."  
  
"Yeah...for you to realize I wrote an erotic novelization about the two of us?" He chuckled in embarrassment over what had happened about an hour ago, when he showed Robbie the first book. He would never get over how hard he'd laughed at him when he read him a few chapters like a storybook. Even though Robbie was sickly and dying, he still managed to be a nasty, little pirate.  
  
Robbie laughed again, coughing a bit, "That is _exactly_ why the universe kept me alive," he leaned up to kiss Sportacus' cheek, "I can't believe you.”  
  
Then there was a knock on the entrance, and Ella and Stephanie entered with Stingy, "Uncle..." She ran towards Robbie and hugged him close, and he wrapped his arms around her, "My little Ella...you've grown so much..."  
  
Stingy hid behind the girls and leaned himself against the wall to make himself seem smaller, while Stephanie looked around for Sportacus. Where was—oh! "Sportacus, you look like a fisherman!" she cackled and ran straight into a jumping hug. He caught her, as he always used to, "How the fuck did you stay alive??"  
  
"Stephanie!"  
  
"Hey, you said 'only on the ship'," she reminded him, "And I've kept that promise."  
  
Robbie cackled, Ella calming him down when he started coughing again, “I'm glad to see you haven't changed much, Stephanie," he huffed out another chuckle. "Thank you for coming after me. Both of you."  
  
"Thank the people who write for the newspapers!" Stephanie hopped out of Sportacus's arms and onto the end of the bed, "You were _all_ over the place, Robbie! _'Rottenbeard to Be Executed in LazyTown!'_ " She mocked the newspaper headlines, "Ella and I were collecting supplies when we saw the news! She nearly fainted!"  
  
He gasped dramatically, "I'm famous!"  
  
"More like infamous," Ella giggled and kissed Robbie's head. She pet through his greying hair, looking at him worriedly. "I can tell you haven't slept for a long time...do you think you can stay up longer? I want to make sure we can feed you before you actually fall asleep…if you sleep too long..."  
  
Robbie rubbed Ella's back, "I think I'll be able to do that,” he smiled slightly, "I'm tired but I'm still not so sure I'd be able to actually sleep anyways.”  
  
"The Captain was always able to push through tough times, right?" Stephanie referred to him with his old title, letting Robbie know there were no hard feelings between them. It had been seven years, and all that time with Ella helped her understand the intricacies of piracy and what it could do to a person. Any disdain she held for him had diminished, and she was just happy that Ella was happy.  
  
Robbie smiled kindly at Stephanie, "That's right. The Captain can withstand anything," he chuckled and leaned on Ella, who was still petting through his hair. He turned his head slightly, looking around the room before his eyes landed on Stingy. His eyebrows knit in confusion, "You brought...the governor with you?"  
  
Stingy was awkwardly backed into the corner, hands still tied behind his back with rags and ropes. He didn't like this one bit. Here he was, the wealthy ex-governor of a town, surrounded by pirates in a den of sin...and they were all being weirdly lovey-dovey and _gay_.  
  
Stephanie gave him an apologetic glance. "Couldn't leave him in town. They'd kill him."  
  
"I suppose that's true. Was he a friend of yours?" Robbie frowned, guilt crossing his face. Stingy didn't like being spoken of like he wasn't even in the room, and with a red face, he simply stared at the grooves in the wall.  
  
"...he was," she admitted.  
  
Sportacus finally got to have a good look at the young man. They'd only spoken in passing when he came into town for the trial, but he hadn't revealed his identity. "It's nice to see you, Stingy."  
  
The boy looked shocked. "S-Sportacus? I thought you were dead??"  
  
Ella smiled slightly, "No, he's definitely alive. Which is a very good thing." She smiled at Sportacus, then back at Robbie.  
  
"We could make Stingy a regular pirate!" Stephanie giggled, but was met with an opposing glare from the boy, whose nose scrunched up dramatically. "Don't even touch me."  
  
Sportacus took a breather and sat down on the bed with his partner, "First and foremost, we need to make sure this town gets back on its feet."  
  
"We've gathered townspeople who would like to run for governor. I have a list of the names here," Ella pulled out a rolled up piece of parchment, handing it to the man. "If they get some speeches together and have a plan for helping the town, everyone can vote for the best choice. And then we can work with them to rebuild." She got up and placed her hands on her hips. "Plus, we've hoarded all the treasure you collected to help the town, uncle!"  
  
Robbie blinked, sitting up in disbelief, "What...? Are you serious?" He thought all the treasure had been lost with his ship seven years ago.  
  
"...now that's the real question: How in the world did you and the children, and even Louis survive?” Sportacus asked.  
  
Stephanie twiddled her fingers dramatically, "We thought we were goners when our room was blasted off the rest of the ship, but it was air-locked! And we were tumbling around till we washed up in a cave."  
  
"Yeah! And that air-locked cabin was where you stored the treasure! So all of it was saved!" Ella held her uncle's hand, laying him back down. "You made a really smart decision without even knowing it."  
  
Robbie stared at her a moment, before huffing proudly, "Well...of course I did! I'm the smartest man to ever sail the seven seas!"  
  
"Yeah," Stephanie smirked, "and we're the smartest pirates without dicks.”  
  
"Stephanie!" Sportacus chastised her out of habit.  
  
Robbie laughed at that, looking at the two girls with a lopsided smile. "Yes, you two are both very smart, and have grown up so much. I'm very glad you survived..." he looked between the girls with a pause, "What exactly have you been up to all this time, anyways?"  
  
Stephanie actually blushed a little, and scratched at her scalp in thought. "Well, for the first couple of years Louis was teaching us how to sail...after that we went around and tried helping as many people as possible."  
  
Ella held Stephanie's hand and possibly blushed deeper than the other girl, "We also, um…" Stephanie leaned forward to give her blushing girlfriend a big kiss on the cheek. "Ella and I are partners!"  
  
Stingy looked rather shocked by the exchange, and his own face lit up pink when they exchanged a kiss.  
  
"Oh my god, finally," Robbie said with a small hint of surprise. "I knew you two liked each other," he gave them an approving grin. "Well. I knew Ella liked Stephanie. But who _wouldn't_ like my niece?" Ella blushed and giggled, “Uncleeeeeee."  
  
Sportacus gave Stephanie a supportive wink. He'd talk to her about it all later. They had a lot of catching up to do, after all. "Well, I'm glad you've been here with the other kids. Well, I guess they aren't really kids anymore, now are they?"  
  
"Nope! We're all grown up!" Ella gave Sportacus a hug. "It...really sucked growing up without you both. We were always trying to look for you on our travels."  
  
Robbie sighed sadly, "I wish we could have come together sooner."  
  
Sportacus hugged her back, and then dragged Stephanie along for a huge group hug where they squeezed themselves against Robbie. "Well, we're back, okay? And together again. Nothing's separating this family again."  
  
There was a slam on the door, and Stingy had gone to sit outside.  
  
They all looked up to the door, and Robbie deflated a bit. Ella bit her lip, "Maybe mentioning 'family' in front of Stingy wasn't...the best idea..."  
  
Stephanie stared at the door. Yes, he’d been absolutely awful to the people of LazyTown, but he didn't grow up with anyone to teach him the difference between right and wrong. All he had was Sportacus, and he was taken away from him too. "We'll work with it. He's kind of a jerk but...things can change! Anything can happen!"  
  
"Yeah! Um..." Ella placed her hand on Sportacus' shoulder, "I think...it would really do Stingy some good for you to speak with him, you know."  
  
"Yeah..." he rubbed the back of his neck, "I think so too..." Sportacus gave everyone in the room a single kiss on the head before heading outside for a word with the…ex-governor.  
  
Stingy was sitting on the floor, sniffling. When he heard someone exiting the room behind him, he attempted to wipe his eyes on his shoulders, as his hands were still tied behind his back. He glanced behind him, and he tried to sneer, but he could hold no hard feelings for Sportacus. He looked away, trying to stop his tears.  
  
Once Sportacus knew he'd been noticed, he sat down behind the young man to untie his bonds. He didn't entirely trust him, but he knew there were crew members guarding every entry of the ship. Besides, Stingy didn't exactly have a very welcoming crowd to return to in LazyTown. "Tied these pretty tight, didn't they?" He took out a pocket knife to slice the last leather piece to fully free his hands.  
  
Stingy used his free hands to wipe harshly at his eyes, wrists stinging. "What could you want with me, Sportacus? You have a...family."  
  
"What could I want?" He sat down beside him, his expression quite fatherly, "I want to talk to you, Stingy. It's been about seven years..." he noted how much taller he was compared to him, "You've really grown."  
  
Stingy looked away from, "Well apparently I didn't grow so well...according to Stephanie..." He rubbed under his nose. "Are you...disappointed with me, Sportacus?"  
  
He knew what Stingy wanted to hear, but he had to be truthful with him. It was the only way he would learn. "...I can't say that I'm very happy with you, Stingy. You know what you were doing was wrong. At least to some degree," he gave him a rather disappointed glance, "So why did you do it?"  
  
Stingy brought his knees to his chest, hiding his face in his arms, and he shook a little, "...I figured that...if I stripped the town of progression, it would never be pillaged again by..." his voice lowered, "pirates." He rubbed his face and turned to Sportacus, glancing away. "If there's no wealth within the town, and the rules are very strict, no one could come in or leave! The people could be safe! I wanted to build a wall to further protect the people, but then that..." he pointed to the room they were previously in, "that disgusting, horrible pirate who destroyed _my_ home and killed _my_ family came back and now…!” he looked angrily at the ground, "I don't have any power anymore..."  
  
Sportacus could see that, in his heart of hearts, Stingy had been trying to do the right thing. It was...selfish and backwards, but there was an effort. "It's my home too, Stingy. All of our homes...and I missed it too. What Robbie… _Rottenbeard_ did was deplorable. Everyone was feeling powerless...sometimes I still do," he placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze, "But you can't rely on material things to make you feel powerful. You need power over yourself. Nobody can take that away from you. Even if you feel trapped on this ship, you have the power to leave. You have choices. You just...should think about what's the right choice for _everyone_. Not just yourself."  
  
"Well I wish what was best for me was best for everyone else too..." Stingy was silent for a long moment before looking at Sportacus, "When my father was killed, I thought I could still turn to you. You were a big influence on...everyone. But you were captured too and I...I couldn't take it..."  
  
"I wish I could have been there for you, Stingy," he sighed and looked to the ocean before them, "I've made a lot of selfish decisions too. Nobody's perfect. Especially not me."  
  
Stingy looked at Sportacus in disbelief, "Surely not you, Sportacus! You're...you're always really amazing. All the time! You're just...you're just being nice to those pirates because...because you're _TOO_ nice…"  
  
Sportacus laughed a little. "Well, I'm really flattered you feel that way, Stingy. But I'm no saint. Chalking others up to being unattainably nice isn't a very healthy thing to do," he looked back towards the room they'd left, "And I know it's very hard to believe but...I like those pirates. I helped them. They've changed. Anyone can change."  
  
Stingy frowned, looking down. "I guess then...they needed you to make that change. If only they had met you sooner," he managed a small smile.  
  
There was the Stingy he remembered. He always took the chance to learn something new, even if it took awhile. "Can I get a hug? Don't know if you're too grown up for those now, but you used to like them."  
  
“No, I'm nowhere too grown up for your hugs." Stingy wrapped his arms around Sportacus, clutching to the fabric of his shirt, "I'm so glad you're back."  
  
"Me too, Stingy," he gave him a pat on the back, "Me too.” It had been so long that he helped someone else. It felt good. "I'm sorry all this happened."  
  
"No...I'm-I'm the one who's sorry." Stingy swallowed, "The town as it is now is my fault. You didn't...you couldn't...you didn't know what was going to happen, was going to happen."  
  
"There's always time to fix things, Stingy," he ruffled up his coifed hair, "Trust me."  
  
The boy managed a nervous smile, "I doubt the townspeople will want me back."  
  
"....Stingy," he scratched at his chin, "You ever sailed on a boat?"  
  
Stingy wrinkled his nose, "You're not proposing I sail with pirates...are you?"  
  
"Well...It's always an option. There's adventure, and...treasure. And everyone on board is your age, so...really, what do you have to lose?"  
  
Stingy's face lit up at the word "treasure" and his face scrunched in thought, "I'll...think about it."  
  
"Yeah?" He chuckled a little, "It can be a lot of work sometimes, but it's worth it. I haven't been on a ship for awhile so…" He looked out to the sea. Sportacus was still...pretty terrified of ships. He wondered how he would fair once they started moving.  
  
Stingy followed Sportacus' gaze, "...there was a mentioning of... something happening. Something happened to the crew you were with."  
  
"There was a bit of a..." he gulped and tried not to grow ill at the sight of the waves, "Storm. I haven't been doing so well these past few years, kid. I don't think anybody has..." he was biting the inside of his own cheeks, "That's why Robbie had come back to LazyTown. He'd spent seven years trying to make amends after the wreck."  
  
"Oh..." Stingy twiddled his thumbs anxiously, "So...that pirate. He really isn't...he's not bad anymore?"  
  
"Doesn't really work like that, I'm afraid. Nobody's really 'bad' or 'good', but...in this case no. No, I don't think he's really bad anymore at all," He leaned closer for a bit of a whisper, “Between you and me, he's really one of the biggest softies you'll ever meet."  
  
Stingy huffed out a chuckle, "Well, I suppose that's good to know, then. He seems important to you all. If you've been separated for seven years... I suppose seeing his death would've been worse than devastating."  
  
"Yeah, uhmmm," he rubbed at his eyes a bit, "Yeah, I admit that it'd be a little awkward."  
  
Stingy smiled slightly, "Well I'll consider everything you've said, Sportacus...finding treasure does sound...appealing. I'm sure getting this town back together is the first priority."  
  
"You'd be correct. And I think any help you could offer us would be greatly appreciated," he quickly flipped himself into a standing position, "You have lived here your whole life, after all."  
  
Stingy sighed and looked at Sportacus, "As much as it pains me to say this...you can...sell my mansion for money." He looked devastated by what he just said, "Everything in there, and the building itself, is worth a lot of money."  
  
Sportacus assumed that had been the girl's plan in the first place, but hearing Stingy give real permission for it was a good start for him. “That's going to really help, Stingy. A lot."  
  
Stingy rubbed down his face, “If...I may. I know I'm not trusted, and I suppose for good reason...but I want to at least be able to oversee the rise of this towns economy again. I know how money works and I want to be able to make sure the next banker actually knows what he's doing."  
  
Sportacus looked uncomfortable. He really wanted to trust Stingy, but...No. No, he had to. People change. "I think the girls would be a lot more comfortable if someone would supervise you but...yes."  
  
Stingy sighed, a hand on his chest, "That would be fine. I...want to do something since I messed so much up."  
  
"You've got plenty of time to fix things, okay? You're still young." He felt under his eyes, "You don't look like me yet."  
  
"You've truly aged a lot..." Stingy mused, "Maybe you'd look more like yourself if you shaved that beard. It's not your style," he gave a small smirk.  
  
"Mmm? Oh!" He laughed at his snark and plucked a single hair from the beard before tossing it to the wind, "You always were the fashionable one. Looks like you still are. I'll take your advice."  
  
Stingy beamed, "Your previous mustache was quite in style. If anything, you should try that again."  
  
"Really?" He looked rather shocked, "Well, I don't think I've ever heard that before. I've been told it looked stupid!"  
  
"That's ridiculous. It always looked rather charming on you in my opinion," he said matter-of-factly.  
  
"Well, _thank you_ , sir!" He honest to god looked very flattered, "I have a whole lot of people to tell off now!"  
  
Stingy laughed, "You should! My style advice should never be questioned."  
  
"You should talk to Robbie sometime then," he cracked his back and began to run in place a bit, "He loves making clothes!"  
  
Stingy looked a little uncomfortable, "I...I'll think about it. I don't know if I'd want to talk to him at present."  
  
"Oh, o-of course.” Perhaps he'd gotten a little carried away there. He had a tendency to do that. "Well, Stingy, how about we get started on some financial plans? You don't have to join us inside...I'm sure the girls would allow you to use some parchment."  
  
"That sounds good. I can write up what needs to happen to help get the town up and running again." Stingy sat up straight.  
  
"Perfect. And Stingy," Sportacus helped him up, "You can always talk to me. About anything, okay?"  
  
Stingy steadied himself after standing, giving the smallest of smiled, “Yes…I—“ he looked at the man, "Thank you, Sportacus."


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter. Sportacus and Robbie share tender moments before setting sail on a new adventure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been such a fantastic ride, ya'll. Ending this pains me a bit. Be on the lookout, though, because Mason and I have begun writing something new!

"Louis is such a perfect man. What a gem," Robbie yawned and stretched, pulling the covers over his shoulders. "I can't believe he had to put up with a bunch of teenagers. Poor guy.”  
  
"Oh, I'm not arguing with that. We were pretty awful! Still are,” Stephanie laughed. The girl was sitting by the former Captain’s bed, conversing with him casually while Sportacus went off to shave his beard, and Ella was discussing economic plans for LazyTown with Stingy. The small pirate family had come to an agreement as to what should be done with the young ex-governor, and it was decided that he would write out a plan for fixing the economy, under the Rotten girl’s supervision.     
  
The two were now laughing and telling stories together, and were flipping through one of the homoerotic novels that Sportacus had written while he was still out of the room. They were losing themselves in snorts and giggles, and Stephanie realized she had never really found herself having any alone time with Robbie, but it felt a little like she was talking with Ella. They had similar senses of humor.  
  
“Could I borrow this book? I think I know some people who would _really_ get a kick out of it.”  
  
Robbie chuckled, "Hey, you won't find me stopping you. Just don't let Sportacus catch you showing it around," he winked, rolling back over in bed. He was immensely happy he could talk with the girl like this.  
  
"Oh, trust me," she shoved the book into the back of her pants, "he won't." She wiped the tears from her eyes, a small smile on her face as she thought of something that had been on her mind for a while. "So...Robbie, you...you don't care about me and...Ella?"  
  
"Hmm? Why would I?" He sent a confused look Stephanie's way.  
  
"Just...I know the Rottens are very family oriented, and I want you to know that I would never hurt her in _any_ way!” She'd obviously been very worried about this.  
  
Robbie blinked, before his look softened. "Stephanie, the thought never even crossed my mind that you would hurt Ella. You two became friends very quickly, and you've always been very sweet to her. The fact that you survived seven years together, accepting your feelings for one another, proves that you have a very strong relationship." He reached his hand out hesitantly to Stephanie's hand. "I don't think I'd rather her be with anyone else."  
  
Stephanie's shoulders fell, calmed greatly by his words. As a young child she always held him with the strongest contempt, but now… "You know," she squeezed his hand back, "people really can change, can't they?" She got up and headed out towards the door. "Rest well...Uncle Robbie.” With that, she left to make sure her girlfriend hadn't beheaded Stingy.  
  
The man felt his insides warm. Stephanie liked him now and that felt like the highest accomplishment he would ever achieve in his life. He sighed happily, rolling over on bed, waiting for Sportacus to finish shaving. As he waited, his eyes felt heavy once again, and he felt himself drift into a dreamless sleep. 

Sportacus came back into the room after a bit with a cleanly shaven face, his signature mustache back in place. It felt odd staring into the looking glass at himself. He felt reborn. Hopefully Robbie would appreciate it. Ope! Well, if he was awake. The blonde man reentered to the sight of a sleeping man, which had him a little worried. He set a hand on his chest to make sure he was breathing.  
  
Robbie’s heart beat weakly in his chest with the slow rise and fall of his shallow breaths. Everything he had gone through the past seven years, hell, even the past few days, had left the man greying. The short, scraggly beard that adorned his face as a dark grey, and his receding hairline had multiple grey strands spread throughout the messy, black hair. His eyes were wrinkled around the edges, and the dark circles underneath dug into his pale skin. His sunken cheeks didn't do anything for his complexion either. He had grown old and weary, and he hadn’t even reached 40 yet.  
  
It truly saddened Sportacus to see his love age so. Of course he didn't care what his boyfriend looked like. He could be missing an eye and he'd still love him, but that spunk, that energy that made Robbie, _Robbie_ , had seemed to fade. He brushed his hand against his lover's scratchy cheek. "My pretty pirate..."  
  
Robbie's brows knit together in his sleep, leaning towards Sportacus' touch. He coughed, and after a moment, he blinked his eyes open, looking up at the other man. "...Have I died and gone to heaven? I don't know why God would want me, but I'm not complaining."  
  
"Trust me, I'm no angel," he kissed the man's forehead and rubbed his cheek again, "and I imagine heaven to smell a little better."  
  
Robbie grinned, "I don't mind this smell so much. As long as you're here." He reached up lazily to stroke his love’s face, "You've got your cute, dumb mustache back."  
  
"Hey," he poked his nose, "I was told by a very reliable source that this mustache was in style."  
  
Robbie laughed, "Oh yeah? Well, it's definitely _your_ style." He took Sportacus' face and had him lean down, so he could kiss him, "A reward for shaving off that hairy beast."  
  
"I thought you'd like me looking a bit more rugged," he moved to lay down in the bed next to him, "like a pirate."  
  
Robbie scooted close to Sportacus, laying an arm over the other man, "You make a beautiful pirate just the way you are. If anything, it's the clothing that makes the pirate." He smirked, "Not like we're much of pirates anymore, though."  
  
"What really is a pirate, honestly?" Sportacus flopped his head down on the cushy pillow that lay beneath them, "It's not like anyone pays us. It's not a job description. We may as well be called 'Water Lads' or 'Sword Boys.'"  
  
Robbie laughed, "That sounds a lot less intimidating." He rubbed his chin in thought, "I suppose a true pirate sails the seas, committing crime on and off land, stealing and pillaging... not much of that going on now."  
  
"You know, with all of this charity and town reconstruction, you almost seem like..." he gave him a lingering kiss on his lower lip, "a noble."  
  
Robbie stuck his tongue out, "Ugh, don't say that. You're still the only good noble I've ever met in my life. I had to make clothes for the higher class, you know. Awful."  
  
Sportacus wiped his mouth off with a smirk, "I know. You told me the story. But you have to admit that sewing clothes isn't a bad gig."  
  
"I suppose not. But it gets boring once that's all you're doing. It hurt to stay in one place for so many years. I love the sea too much. It's my home."  
  
"I know, sweetie..." he kissed the top of his head, which wasn't smelling too great right now, "Hrm. Perhaps you could do with a bath?” It had been so long since he'd seen his naked form. He wasn't sure if he could handle it.  
  
Robbie chuckled, "A bath sounds fantastic. I probably actually smell really bad, huh?"  
  
"Not bad," he giggled, "Just...yeah, it's bad." He sat up in the bed to go fetch a pail of water and a sponge.  
  
Robbie laughed, sitting up slightly in the bed. He supposed he should take his clothes off. While Sportacus fetched the bathing supplies, he managed to get his shirt off, looking down at himself. He looked…rather unwell, to say the least. This is probably the worst shape he's ever been in his life. He wondered if his boyfriend would find his emaciated figure disgusting.  
  
The other man returned with the supplies, actually pleased to find that there was soap on board. These teenagers had everything! When he looked up, he was greeted Robbie's naked body. Which looked absolutely painful. The poor man hadn't eaten for so long, and Sportacus was afraid that if he took so much as a deep breath, his ribcage would collapse. "May I?" He kissed his stomach and helped him take off his pants so he wouldn't have to get those wet.  
  
Robbie bit his lip worriedly, moving his hips to let Sportacus take his pants off. He wondered if he would say anything, but his partner just kissed his stomach again and helped him out of the bed to sit in the larger wash basin he brought inside, "Let's get you cleaned up."  
  
He nodded slowly, sitting up in the basin with his knees pulled up to his chest. He watched Sportacus begin to clean him up, and the soapy water felt amazing on his dry skin.  
  
"Just enjoy the water like the little fish you are," Sportacus giggled as he squeezed the water over his head, "I'm surprised a mermaid tail hasn't shown up yet."  
  
Robbie scoffed, "I'm definitely no mermaid," and he leaned his head down as the water was poured over him.  
  
“Oh, come on, you could be!" he scrubbed at his neck and back, "I recall one day you likened me to an elf...I don't see why you couldn't be some mystical sea creature. You did steal me away into the sea."  
  
"Hmmm...then maybe I could be." A pleased hum escaped his lips while his partner scrubbed his back. "It must take time to develop a tail."  
  
"Mmhm," Sportacus kissed his neck before raising his arm to scrub underneath, "And your singing voice has always been my favorite. You’re just a siren who doesn't know it yet."  
  
Robbie laughed, giving Sportacus a sly smile, "Well I've already eaten you, so maybe I've been a siren all along."  
  
Sportacus squeezed the contents of his sponge out all at once over his head in retaliation to his saucy comment. "Baths aren't for being dirty," he smirked. Goodness. It had been so long since either have them had really touched each other. He wondered if it would be the same. He hadn't had any meaningful sex since their parting, or much sex at all. It took a few years to ever let anyone touch him...and the few times he did weren't memorable at all.  
  
Robbie laughed, spitting some water out that entered his mouth. "You're right. Being dirty is much better for best-selling novels," he smirked, bumping Sportacus' nose. "Or for the bed. But you'd probably break me if we tried anything soon." He chuckled a bit sadly, "I've really...missed your touch."  
  
He blushed at the novel comment, really regretting that he ever wrote those dumb things. "We would, if we did the things we used to do," he kissed the side of his neck one more time and leaned his chin on his shoulder, "I've missed it too. So very much."  
  
Robbie ran his hand through Sportacus' hair, "I isolated myself without much human contact, physically or verbally. Just to do business, but I would mostly be alone while I worked on commissions. This, right now, is enough for me." He turned slightly and placed a kiss on his lover’s lips.  
  
With a happy sigh, Sportacus kissed back and began rinsing off any sudsy bubbles that were left on the man. "Feel better?"  
  
"Mmm...I feel much better now. A lot less grimy." He leaned back on Sportacus, "Think you could help me shave too? I feel like my beard makes me look too old."  
  
"No more ‘Rottenbeard' for you?" His eyes crinkled with age lines as he smiled and reached for the razor that he'd used not but an hour ago, "I didn't even call yours a ‘beast.’”  
  
Robbie chuckled, "Hey, if anything, I might as well grow a new one. I feel like mine is all scraggly." He took the razor from Sportacus. "I swear, I look like an old man already…” He got out of the water basin with Sportacus' help and dried off, wrapping a towel around himself and stepped in front of a mirror. He hadn't exactly looked at himself for a long period of time in the past week, so when he saw himself, his face scrunched up in scrutiny as he began to shave.  
  
"Some rest, exercise, and a good diet is going to really help you..." He cocked his head to get a better look at his body, "You'll be okay again, Robbie. Trust me."  
  
The taller man sighed, "You were always extremely healthy." He rubbed his chin, making sure he didn't miss any spots, and pushed his hair back. His bare face only accentuated the fact that he was starving, and that to Sportacus was more than saddening. He turned around and smiled slightly, "Well, the majority of my exercise came from piracy. What am I going to do now?"  
  
"Well, Robbie, I actually wanted to talk to you about that. I— I think I want to sail again. But differently. What if we were, like, heroes? Just do everything you did before, but no pillaging? We could sail the seas, going island to island, and helping people…" He rubbed the back of his neck, "Oh gosh that must sound so stupid, I am so sorry."  
  
Robbie laughed at that, walking over to the bed. "Well, I suppose that wouldn't be...terrible. We'd be more like anti-pirates." He mumbled, "Maybe we can still kill terrible nobles."  
  
"Robbie, I don't think 'murder' is exactly synonymous with 'hero'," he gave him a rather fatherly expression, like he was chastising a kid for stealing a cookie.  
  
Robbie frowned, "Don't give me that look. We could be anti-heros. Killing off terrible governments is effective. "  
  
"As sexy as that sounds..." he rubbed the back of his head in thought, "Okay, here's the deal. I want Stingy to join us. He's alone and he has nowhere to go. He was a government official. And not a very good one...but we didn't kill him."  
  
The former pirate grunted, looking away, "Not many people are willing to change like he is. I'm glad he's trying to fix his mistakes, but he's also a kid. Older officials aren't so easily swayed."  
  
"Could we just _try_?" He moved over to him to give him a few begging smooches, "Please? Just try? If in the end it seems impossible, then we'll fall on your plan," he continued to kiss him all over, "I just...I want to fix things without death.”  
  
Robbie chuckled softly from the kisses, leaning towards Sportacus. "Well...fine, fine. We’ll try your way. But I get to stab someone in the gut if it doesn't work."  
  
"As long as you don't stab me..." he kissed him again, "I mean..preferably. I can't control your actions, though."  
  
"Hmm, we'll see," Robbie chuckled and kissed Sportacus back, running a hand around his waist. "Depends on if you're a shitty noble."  
  
"I think we've already discussed this. I've always been a shitty noble," he wrapped his own arms around the smaller man. He felt like he was holding something fragile.  
  
Robbie leaned his head on Sportacus' shoulder, "That's true. You're shitty at being a noble." He kissed Sportacus' cheek. "Hrm...I think I might try to sleep again. I wanna eat something amazing when I wake up. Maybe stew. Stew would be great..." he nuzzled his face into the other's neck.  
  
"Stew does sound great." Sportacus easily lifted Robbie off the ground and swept him off his feet so he could lay him down in bed. He was so frighteningly light...they would fix that, though. With the right amount of stew, exercise, and love, it would all be fixed. Gently, he placed the man under the covers, soon joining him and covering themselves up with the blankets.

* * *

 

Weeks passed. Stephanie and Ella's crew stayed docked in LazyTown, determined to rebuild the peaceful residence. With time and dedication, a new governor was voted into office, they had a new bank, and new homes were built. Any leftover treasure was spread out to the people equally, and new jobs were created.  
  
Once Robbie was really able to hold himself up again, which took a lot of water, mild exercise, and stew (as per request), he integrated himself back into society. The people seemed wary about him, but once they realized he was really trying to give back what he'd taken away, they slowly accepted him. He helped with building homes as much as he could, and replanting the fruit trees. LazyTown was thriving once more, but it would still take a while before it could once again be a trading center.  
  
Today was the day that the crew had decided that they would have to sail away. It was a little sad. Sportacus was just starting to know everyone again. So many people had grown up while he was away, and it disheartened him to think that they would grow even more while they left once more.  
  
But staying here wasn't an option. They had the world to explore, people to meet, lives to save! Currently a gaggle of five crew members were hoisting anchor, and Stingy was in the back of the group, clearly struggling. In fact he'd been struggling for a few weeks now. As hard as Sportacus tried to get the other teens to interact with him, Stingy wasn't exactly the best at making friends. The boy seemed lonely, so Sportacus and Robbie had concocted a plan to fix that. After the group readied the ship for sail, the men were trying to quiet down a very loud gift that they were storing under a blanket for the boy.  
  
"Robbie, where did you even find this thing?"  
  
Robbie held the surprise on his arm, leaning down to whisper, "You know the ship that docked a couple days ago? They were carrying various animals that could be traded for. I gave them a once over...and I found this thing. I thought it would fit Stingy well."  
  
"Oh yeah. It seems his style," he had no doubt about that, "but I do hope you know it's never going to shut up?"  
  
Robbie sighed, rolling his head back, "I KNOW. But I feel like it's going to make the boy happy. So...it's worth it."  
  
“Hey, Stingy!" Sportacus called the boy over from the anchorage, "Come over here for a second.” The boy was happy to get away from the others for a moment, and walked on over with his hands in his pockets, "Yes? What is it?"  
  
Robbie put on his best smile for the boy, "We have something for you. A gift." He held out the squawking, blanket-covered surprise. "Go ahead and uncover it."  
  
Stingy didn't look as though he trusted it, but he pulled the sheet off anyway. Underneath was a large, colorful parrot whose wingspan almost reached a human's arms length. "Woah!!" Stingy looked really excited, "For me? Really?"  
  
Robbie nodded, glad to see the boy was happy about the surprise, "Really! This parrot is all yours." He carefully moved to the boy's side, bringing his arm to Stingy’s shoulder. Slowly, the parrot stepped over, testing out the feel before squawking again.  
  
"Well, bird..." he spoke to the creature as if it could understand, "now that you are mine, you are to throw away whatever your bird family once called you. Your name shall be Piggy."  
  
Robbie held back a laugh, covering his mouth to hide his grin. "You two already seem like you'll get along well."  
  
Stingy turned away for a moment as if to leave, but he paused before turning around. "Uhm....thanks."  
  
Sportacus held his hands out. "No problem, Stingy. Just make sure to feed it properly."  
  
"Yes. Here," Robbie pulled out a small bag from his coat pocket, handing it to the boy, "Here's some feed to start off with. We can always get more."  
  
The parrot squawked and snapped at the bag, which Stingy quickly held away from him. "If we're going to be friends...we have to set a few rules, Piggy.” He gave the two of them one last thank you before walking back towards the middle deck. He may have not had many friends now, but this bird was getting him some attention from everyone else. All the teens were sneaking peeks at the bird, and a few even asked to pet it.  
  
Robbie smiled at the sight, putting an arm around Sportacus, "I think that parrot was a _very_ good idea. I'm glad I thought of it," he stroked his beard proudly.  
  
"Yeah, and you'll regret it every night when you start hearing it _squawk squawk squawk squawk squawk!_ " he laughed in his ear, "But that was really sweet. Looks like he's making some friends already.” Two boys were seeing how far they could get their fingers near the bird before it bit them.  
  
Robbie laughed, pushing Sportacus' face away, "Stingy has a hard time with friends, so the bird gives something for the others to talk to him about. Hopefully they'll get to know him better, then."  
  
"Unless they get their fingers chomped off first.” One of the boys was very close to losing a pinkie to the bird's beak. Stingy looked a lot more comfortable having something to talk about with everyone, and the boys that were playing with the birds seemed to be nice to him.  
  
Robbie chuckled, "Maybe they deserve it for poking at that bird." He watched Stingy, smiling softly. "He reminds me of me just a little. Though I wasn't quite as high-strung."  
  
"Really?" Sportacus looked back and forth between the two, "I could see it. I'm just glad he has a friend for when we set sail today." He held tightly to Robbie's hand. "I know I'll need one.” He was still pretty nervous about moving out into open water. Being docked was one thing, traveling to the middle of the ocean where there was no escape if a storm hit, was another.  
  
Robbie squeezed Sportacus' hand, his stomach tying in knots at his words, "I know...the sea can be unforgiving at times." He kissed his forehead, "But it did let us find each other again. I have a good feeling that the sea will be merciful."  
  
"I trust you," he swallowed hard, "You and your dumb pirate idioms." The crew, managed by Louis, was just a few steps away from totally setting sail. They were all signing to each other to pull their ropes, and in only a few moments, they were all set and ready to shove off.  
  
Robbie chuckled, moving to lean on the edge of the ship and watched as the sea expanded before them. "It feels strange to not be at the helm." He looked up, Ella confidently at the wheel with Stephanie at her side. "I've been downgraded."  
  
Sportacus took a deep breath and moved to the side of the ship with his love. He could get used to this. It would be okay. He pulled his lover close to kiss the side of his head, "You'll always be Captain to me."  
  
Robbie leaned his head against Sportacus, wrapping an arm around his side, "Thanks," he chuckled. "You'll always be my second-in-command."  
  
Everyone waved their goodbyes to LazyTown, and the citizens all gathered to see them off at the docks. Stephanie and Ella shared their place at the helm, holding onto each other just as tightly as they held onto the wheel.  
  
Stingy was genuinely smiling as he shared a few laughs with his bird and the other teens, but he turned to say his own goodbyes (and apologies) to the town he once called home.  
  
Sportacus took in a deep breath of that salty, ocean air.  
  
This was going to be a wonderful beginning to a new adventure.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have commissions open! Check out examples and pricing: http://scrungass.tumblr.com/post/160562722436/commissions-officially-open-for-the-summer-please
> 
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**Author's Note:**

> You can follow me @lazy_stars (IG) or @scrungass (tumblr) for art and fic updates, and you can follow my co-author Mason @themasongraygallery (IG) or @animason (tumblr)!


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